


Alone

by SpiltWords



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Army, Card Games, Constellations, Doctors, Feels, Hiding, Mythology - Freeform, Poker, Run, Zombies, all the feels, army base, but close enough, don't get bitten, never look back, never stop running, not quite zombies, someones going to die
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-11
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-01 00:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 34,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2752463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpiltWords/pseuds/SpiltWords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just keep running. Keep your eyes ahead and run. Never look back, don't stop. Just run.</p><p>When a single bite could infect you, your only choice is to run. Perhaps you're the only person that is left alive and you're alone in an infected world or perhaps the world isn't so bleak after all but that doesn't mean you should stop running.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_Just keep running. Keep your eyes ahead and run. Never look back, don't stop. Just run._

 

The leaves rustled around her as she forced her way through the forest, her feet hitting the ground with loud thuds. She'd been running for most of the day, trying to get as far away as possible. She had left behind her home, the Eiffel Tower towered over the city in the distance behind her but it wasn't safe there anymore. Not for her, not for anyone. Staying would be suicide but that didn't mean running wouldn't be either. She was running from the unavertable, If she was lucky, she'd find civilisation where no one had been infected yet. She'd be safe for a short time until they reached there.

Her rucksack thudded against her back as she slowed down, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. There was only so far she could run on a diet of rice and water. She slept for a few hours before continuing on her way, covering as much ground during the day as she possibly could.

This was the first time in her entire life that she had left Paris. She had no idea where she was going. She had avoided the roads, they were too flat and it would have been easier for them to get her there. A single bite would infect her and within hours she would be one of them.

It had started with a virus created in a lab in England. Someone had managed to spill a small drop of the liquid which had gone on to infect a patient, who then bit another patient who bit a doctor and so on... so far, there was no cure other than death. She had seen many of her friends become one of them, she didn't even know who was still uninfected and who was already one of them but she hadn't stuck around to find out.

She stopped as she reached a small lake, taking the flask from her bag and filling it with water. She'd need it if she was going to cover anymore ground before nightfall. The sun was already setting and the sky was slowly starting to darken. She hadn't stopped to eat since morning but she still had some cooked rice in her bag which she could eat later. A fire would draw attention to her, if not the attention of the infected, instead an animal that would see her as prey.

 

The next day was much the same. She awoke at the break of dawn, surveying the area before dropping to floor from the tree with a thud. Surely by now they would have caught up with her, not being far behind her but she didn't have time to worry about. Keep running, never look back. This was her life now.

By midday she had covered a few miles which only led her deeper into the forest. There was no sign of civilisation any where close to where she was. It'd been days since she had seen another person and almost a week since she had seen someone that wasn't infected. Sometimes it felt like she was the only left and perhaps she was but she couldn't give up hope.

 

By the third day she was growing weary, she wanted to give in. To lie down, wait and give herself to them and for a short time she had done just that. As the sun had reached the highest point in the sky she had stopped and laid down, staring up at the sky as she listened to the birds that called out around her. How peaceful it would be to be a bird, not having to worry about being infected. Being able to simply get up one morning and fly away... as she laid there, there was only one thought that played over and over in her mind... _Perhaps being one of them wouldn't be so bad._. Yes, she would loose her mind. Yes, she would bite another human and make them like her but at least she wouldn't be alone.

 

On the fourth day she came across the road. It led through the middle of the forest with no signposts or any signs of life, she decided to follow it. She followed it down hill, there had to be life at both ends but walking up hill would take more energy than what she had.

Her feet propelled her forward, hurtling down the hill as she ran. She ran towards civilisation, she ran towards food, towards comfort, towards hope.

It didn't take her long until she reached the village but when she did, it was silent. Doors were thrown open, windows smashed. Clothes were thrown across the floor, books discarded, cars left across the middle of the road. She felt her heart sink as she cautiously walked through the streets, looking at the empty houses. Perhaps there was no one there, but at least she might be able to stock up on supplies.

She stepped towards what was once a corner shop, pushing the door open as the bell dinged eerily to alert no one to her arrival. She walked through the shelves, glancing at the food as if she was shopping on a once normal summers day.

Sliding her bag off of her shoulder, she silently began to store the food for later. It felt like stealing, taking the food whilst no one was watching but by now the shop owner was long gone, perhaps they were dead... if she survived this she'd return, she'd pay for the food that she had taken but for now she just had to stay alive.

She froze as the door opened, the bell ringing out around her. She crouched down, hidden beneath the shelves as she listened to the footsteps that echoed around the empty shop, following by rustling. She bit her lip as she reached out, grabbing at a stale loaf of bread that sat on the shelf beside her. It wasn't much, but it was a better weapon than nothing. She held her breath and closed her eyes, listening to the footsteps as they passed by her on the other side of the shelf. She wouldn't let them turn her, she wouldn't let them bite her.

She stood up, clutching her weapon as the figure passed by the end of isle and silently, she followed them. Still holding her breath she turned, her eyes widening in shock as she watched the blonde man casually browsing the food.

She dropped the bread, her legs going weak as she fell to the floor. She wasn't alone, she wasn't the last one! But here was another human being, stood looking at the food on the shelves as if nothing was wrong!

The noise alerted the man who instantly turned, staggering back as he stared at the girl knelt on the floor a few feet away from him, leaned over the stale bread. He grabbed the walkie talkie from his pocket, hitting a button. “I've got one,” he hissed into it. “There's one in here with me!”

The door flew open as footsteps hurried towards them. She didn't bother to respond, she didn't bother to look up as her body heaved as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wasn't alone.

The man frowned as he pulled out a gun, pointing it at her as the footsteps stopped behind her. “Wait,” Someone called. “I don't think she's one of them.”

The blonde man scoffed as he took a cautious step forward. “It's covered in blood! It's a mess. Look at it's hair! It's one of them, I'm telling you! It doesn't even speak.”

She glanced up as one of the men stepped around her, pushing the glasses up the bridge of noise as he watched her. “What's your name?” He asked.

She let out a small laugh as she closed her eyes. What was her name? She could be anyone she wanted to be now, she could tell them any name and they would call her that! It was something she had craved her entire life but now, now she couldn't think of anything to say other than, “Eponine.” The world was cruel and taunting. Of course only now would it provide her with the chance to be whoever she wanted to be!

The man smiled at her kindly as he stepped closer. “My names Combeferre and that's Enjolras,” he informed her as he gestured towards the blonde man who watched them warily. “And behind you we have Bahorel and Feuilly.”

She nodded as she sat back on her heels, staring up at the man. “I'm not alone..” She breathed.

He smiled as he shook his head. “You've very much not alone.”


	2. Chapter 2

 

“We've been here for about two weeks now, the place was completely deserted when we arrived...” Combeferre rambled away as the three men walked a few feet ahead of her whilst Eponine trailed along behind them. She felt completely numb. Whilst she had been hoping that she'd find a town thriving with life, deep down she had believed that they were all gone but now, she had not only found one person but four. Four very much alive and not bitten people. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to run and scream for joy but she simply didn't have the energy. Instead she settled with watching them as she trailed behind, assessing each one of them curiously.

 

The blonde man, Enjolras he was called, seemed to be the leader of the group. He had said little since the arrival of the others and still clutched the gun comfortably at his side. Beside him stood Combeferre, the one that seemed to do the most talking. During one of his rambles between here and the shop she had learned a lot about him. He was a medical student, or was, if there were any university left once this all ended. He was working with a friend to try and find a cure for whatever it was that was turning these people into monsters but so far, they had had no luck. Next was Feuilly, he looked like the eldest of the group in front of her and his clothes were covered in what she guessed were paint stains. He smiled at her softly and spoke with a slight Polish accent unlike the others who were all obviously French and finally, on the end of the line was Bahorel. He was taller than the others and had more muscles. His skin was covered in a display of tattoos which in any other circumstance she would have stood and admired all day but right now, she had other things on her mind.

 

The men walked with an ease that suggested that they weren't in hurry. They didn't seem to believe they were in any kind of danger as they talked among themselves, occasionally stopping to explain something to her, apart from Enjolras who insisted on remaining stoic but unlike the men, Eponine was unable to ignore the worry that was grinding away at the back of her mind. Didn't these men understand what was coming for them. Here they were, wandering through the deserted streets that alone sent shivers down her spine. Yes, perhaps they had been here for two weeks but it was just so... eery. She shuddered as she stepped over a doll that had been abandoned in the middle of the street, once a toy that a little girl had somewhere loved enough to take out of the house with her when she had left, only to drop it in the middle of the street. Whatever had happened here, the people that once inhabited these streets had left in a hurry.

 

Combeferre cleared his throat, taking her by surprise as she realised he'd fallen back in step with her. “Enjolras... he uh... He doesn't want you to see where we are going,” he told her quietly as he plucked a strip of material out of his pocket and gave her a small smile.

 

She scoffed. “Does he think I'm one of them, pretending to be one of you?”

 

Combeferre laughed lightly, ignoring the glare that Enjolras shot him as they finally came to a stop as they reached a fork in the road. He shook his head as he blushed, holding the strip of material up and waiting for her permission. “He just... doesn't trust the government, he has a theory is all.”

 

She frowned as she glanced at the blonde who stood staring off into the trees beside them, paying no attention to them. She sighed as she shrugged her shoulders and turned away from the medical student. “Sure, do it,” she told him, allowing him to cover her eyes.

 

He carefully wrapped the material around her eyes before tying it behind her head, making sure not to catch any of her hair. She felt a gentle hand on his arm as he guided her forward and soon the sound of the other three mens footsteps reached her ears. “It's not far from here,” Combeferre informed her with a gentle smile evident in his voice. “And I'm sure once we get back you'll be wanting something to eat.”

 

“Oh,” she blushed as she shook her head. “No, it's okay. I have my own food, I took it from that shop back there.”

 

“Doesn't that make it out food?” Bahorel asked lightly as he stepped up beside her. “We've basically claimed this place.”

 

Feuilly scoffed as he hit his friend lightly on the arm. “Shut it. She's probably been starving out here for days!”

 

“I can take care of myself,” she told them stubbornly. “I'm still alive, aren't I?”

 

“Evidently,” Enjolras' voice rung out from behind her, taking her by surprise. His silence for past few minutes had led to her forgetting that he had been walking behind her rather than in front of her now. “If she wasn't alive she'd have been shot.”

 

Eponine frowned slightly as she turned her head in an attempt to look over her shoulder and address the voice. “Does shooting them work?”

 

“If you get them in the head,” Bahorel answered her lightly, drawing her attention back to him. “We got a few in the arm once but it didn't do much. It was Joly that suggested we aim for the head. It makes a hell of a mess, but it seems to do a trick but sometimes if we miss, it stuns them enough for us to grab them. That way the Docs can try their drugs on them.”

 

Her eyes widened behind the blindfold and she felt the blood drain from her face. “They have families somewhere...”

 

“But if they bite us we become like them. Every human being will turn into one of them and there will be no cure, just infected beings...” Feuilly told her, his voice coming more gentle than the man before his.

 

“I get it but... I don't know, it doesn't seem right,” she sighed.

 

“We're just doing what we have to do,” Enjolras told her harshly as he brushed passed her, leaving her in a stunned silence.

 

“Don't worry about him, he's just... going through from stuff,” Combeferre whispered.

 

* * *

 

 

They reached the gates fifteen minutes later. Enjolras called out to someone to let them in as Eponine stood listening to the metallic sound as the gates swung open. Combeferre led her inside, waiting for the gates to once again shut before he removed the blindfold. She blinked at the sudden brightness that filled her eyes, examining the thick metal fence that surrounded the building. It seemed like most of the furniture that had been inside the building had been pushed outside to make a barricade around the fences. She wasn't sure what it was that they were trying to protect themselves from. The infected could hardly chew their way through the fence but she didn't bother to ask as she watched Enjolras disappear inside the building.

 

“Ignore him, Doll,” Bahorel told her as he threw his arm around her shoulder and began guiding her towards the building as she looked back for the comfort of Combeferres presence. Sure enough both he and Feuilly were close behind, following in their footsteps. “Lets get the tour over and done with!”

 

“What is this place?” She asked him as her eyes widened. She couldn't help but notice the various towers stood towards the perimeter of the fences, looking out over endless stretches of land. There were no tree to obstruct their view and at the very end of the field to the left, she could just make out a stream.

 

“This place? Some old military base,” he told her with a shrug. “The electrics off, but I imagine that's the same all over, right? And we don't have any water but some of the women go down to the river and fill buckets everyday so we have some. Better than nothing. Means we can only have a bath once a week but you get used to it and one of the guys is trying to hook something up so we can get water from the river and into the pipes so we don't have to go fetch the water but don't expect to be sitting around relaxing and drinking tea all day, we're not British,” he winked at her as he opened the door and allowed her to step inside. “But we've got plenty of blankets and plenty of company.”

 

She repeated as she glanced around as she listened to him intently, taking in her surroundings. The walls were all completely white, some hosting the occasional window that looked into various rooms. She glanced through one, frowning as she spotted Enjolras stood in the centre of the room with his back to her, staring at various photographs that had been stuck up on the wall.

 

“Ah, now in there is Enjolras' office. It's kind of like the headquarters, you know? Just a tip, he doesn't like to be bothered when he's in there. If the doors shut, don't go in and if it's open, it better be something important you have to say to him,” Bahorel explained as Combeferre excused himself to step inside the room. “Of course unless you're Combeferre or Courfeyrac - you'll meet him later.”

 

Feuilly smiled as he stepped up to her other side as they continued to walk. “Now down here we have where they keep the infected ones that we've caught. It's the only place down here that's used but the door lock, so if you ever notice ones got out, hit the button here. You have exactly thirty seconds to run back the way we just came. Joly doesn't really like anyone messing around down here, in case we get bitten by one.”

 

“That almost happened once,” Bahorel explained as they stopped at the doors, allowing Eponine a look inside. Her eyes widened as she looked at the two people restrained to the bed with what looked like meters of rope. It looked like it would be impossible for them to get free, but that didn't put her mind at ease. She'd prefer not to be sleeping in a building with anyone that was infected, but if they wanted a cure... She shuddered as she looked away and Feuilly patted her sympathetically on the back. “I suppose we should show you to Joly, we don't want him freaking out and shooting you if he sees you on your own. He's great at overreacting, if you want a laugh.”

 

“On the topic of shooting, have you got yourself a gun?” Feuilly asked as she shook her head quickly. “Of course not. We can get you one. It's important you keep it on you at all times, just in case. Bath with it, shower with it, eat with it... never put it down and you need to know how to shoot. Jehans surprisingly good at that, we can introduce you to him as well. He's really patient, he's taught half the guys here how to aim for the head.”

 

“It's kind of worrying, really,” Bahorel laughed. “He's really small, he's like a kitten but give him a gun...”

 

“I'll remember that,” she told them, dryly as her stomach rumbled.

 

Feuilly grinned as he looked at Bahorel. “Maybe we should get our girl here something to eat first,” he suggested. “Down here, just to the right you'll find the dinning room. Normally some of the women get together and cook all of the meals- don't look at me like that! It's nothing sexist, it's just after we burned the food every day during the first week they kicked us out and told us they'd do it. We makes up for it, trust us. We have to go out and find the food and bring it back here. Everyone eats together, the foods kind of rationed so everyone gets a fair share. Joly even worked out everyones diets so we all stay healthy but because you're new, you only just got here... and no offence, you don't look like you've ate a good meal for weeks, you can have something now. The food isn't amazing, we make do with what we've got but it's food. We even started growing some vegetables out back, we don't know how long we're going to be stuck here for so don't worry about the food running out anytime soon.”

 

“And then we'll show you where everyone sleeps. It's a bit cramped down there but there's beds so it's better than the floor. I suppose we should be good hosts and let you get some rest,” Bahorel told her.

 

“And then we'll do the rest of the tour!” Feuilly told her as he pulled her into the dinning room and headed for the kitchen. “Are you any good at cooking?”

 

She blushed as she scratched the back of her neck, remembering all of the meals she had managed to burn as a student, if you could call them meals. She had mostly lived off instant noodles and they generally tended to come out a black colour. “Not really...”

 

“Don't worry, we'll find what you're good at! Everyone has to chip in around here.”

 

* * *

 

Eponine stared up at the ceiling as she laid on the bed beneath the scratchy blanket. The room they had taken her to contained twelve beds, with barely a foot of space between each of them. She had to admit it was a bit of a squish and she wasn't sure how much she was looking forward to sleeping in the same room as all of these people but the guys had explained to her that when they had arrived they had moved all of the beds out and pushed them together in as few rooms as possible so they had more space but she had to admit, after weeks of balancing herself in trees and squished under bushes, it was nice to sleep in something that was slightly more comfortable but still, she couldn't sleep.

 

Her eyes ached and her body screamed out for rest after all of the running that she had done but her mind wouldn't settle down. She was still in awe at how many people had survived and if there were people alive here... were there people elsewhere that had gathered together like this? She frowned as she sat up in bed, had they thought about trying to communicate with other groups? In films they always used the radio to do it.. could that actually work? She'd have to ask one of them.

 

Deciding that sleep wasn't going to come to her at all, she slipped out of the bed and got to her feet. She felt around until she found her shoes under the bed and shoved her feet into them. She felt reluctant about leaving her bag here, it had her few life belongings stuffed into it, but if went missing, it could only be one of the people that were in here that had it.

 

She got to her feet and hesitantly stepped out of the door. The corridor was quiet and dark... it must have been late evening by now and that meant that she'd get food again soon and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. They hadn't lied when they said the food wasn't great, it was pretty basic but she had been willing to eat anything. She wandered back in the direction she had remembered coming from, glancing at the various rooms that sat in darkness. She guessed eventually she would get used to the dark and her eyes would adjust but for the time being it made her feel on edge. It reminded her that she was heading towards where they had restrained the infected, a woman and a man. She wondered who they had been, did they have families and jobs? Were they from Paris like she was? What were their names?

 

She frowned to herself, scuffing her feet against the floor as she walked. Could they really class what they were doing as humane. Yes, perhaps they would find a cure and it needed to be tested on some of the infected to make sure it truly worked and they couldn't capture all of those that had been bitten... but shooting them... She was torn over the information she had been given earlier. Out there somewhere were her family, the thought of them being shot, even if they had been infected tore at her heart. Her parents she didn't care much for, but her brother and sister meant the world to her and she hadn't seen them in weeks. Her brother practically lived on the streets whilst her sister still lived with her parents. She had searched for them for days, hiding out in various building to avoid the infected but she hadn't been able to find them. She tried to tell herself that they'd got away, that they'd run... but it was hard to believe that.

 

She frowned as she glanced over her shoulder, watching as one of the shadows moved before shaking her head. No, it was just a trick of her mind. Shadows didn't move, not unless they were attached to a person and there was certainly no one behind her. She sighed as she continued on her way, trying to recall whether she was meant to go left or right... She chewed her lip as she glanced both ways before turning left and heading forward. The eeriness at the end of the corridor sent chills through her core. Something didn't feel right, something felt wrong... She swallowed as she pushed herself to continue, her arm brushing against the wall and making her jump. She finally reached the doors at the end of the corridor and placed her hands on them as she peered through the window and into the darkness. Everything was still and silent... She chewed her lip before pushing the door open. It squeaked as she stepped through before thudding shut behind her. She felt along the wall, trying to make her way along the corridor when she heard a rustling beside her.

 

“Hello..?” She called warily as she took a step away from the wall. The rustling came again as she glanced over her shoulder before suddenly she heard a wheeze of breath come from right in front of her. She jumped back, crashing into a tray before falling to the ground. Around her medical instruments clattered to the floor as whatever it was began to move. The sound of rope rubbing against metal filled the air and her eyes opened in realisation, she had gone the wrong way!

 

She froze on the spot, her mouth hanging open as she listened. Was it free? No, the sound came again as it grunted in annoyance, it's jaw snapping at the air. Her eyes widened in horror as she sat in the darkness before suddenly the doors were thrown open. “You're sure she came this way?” The voice demanded as she watched the shadowy figures burst into the room.

 

“I'm certain!” An unfamiliar voice replied as the two looked around. Eponine cleared her throat, the sound coming out as a snakk squeak as she saw a hand point in her direction. With a click a light suddenly appeared, blinding her as she blinked a few times before finding herself staring into a torch. She raised her eyes, finding herself face to face with a set of blue eyes that were set into a scowl.

 

“What the hell are you doing?” Enjolras demanded harshly as he grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her to her feet. She stumbled unsteadily as he turned the torch, lighting the two figures restrained to the bed that recoiled from the light. “Don't you see what's in here?”

 

“It was a bit too dark to see,” she spat as she pushed past him and felt for the door. The small man gave her a smile as she shoved past him before skipping after her.

 

Enjolras scowled in annoyance as he glanced back at the beds before switching off the torch and following them out of the room. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

 

“I got lost! For Gods sake, it was a simple fucking mistake! Have you never managed to get yourself lost before? Can't you just get off of your high horse and-”

 

“No,” he interrupted her, cutting her off mid sentence, his mouth set in a thin line.

 

“No?” She repeated as she stopped in the middle of the corridor and turned to face him.

 

Enjolras barely managed to stop before he walked straight into her, his brow furrowing as he shook his head. “No, I've never managed to get lost before. I accustom myself to where I am going first.”

 

She narrowed her eyes at him before rolling them and marching back down the corridor. “Go fuck yourself,” she called back to him.

 

The other man smiled brightly as he looked between them before running after her. “Wait up! I'm Jehan, I take it you must be Eponine...”

 


	3. Chapter 3

_24/12/2016 – 23.47_

_**Entry 17** _

_I feel like the days are getting longer, here. They seem to drag more than they did before. For a while I considered that perhaps it was the clock that hung inside the medical room was incorrect and was ticking slower than usual, but Joly assured me this wasn't the case._

_It has been almost a week since the new girl, Eponine, arrived here. She seems to fit in with the group, apart from with Enjolras. Sometimes I wonder whether Enjolras is trying to be rude or whether he just does not realise what he is doing. He communicates little with a majority of the people here, except for the small group of us who have been here from the start. He is no longer the boy that I grew up with, he is a cold man with little heart but I still hold on hope. I know the real Enjolras is still in there, it's just a matter of time before we find him again. Out of us all, I feel like he is taking this the hardest and he is more determined than ever to solve this._

_Today Joly and I treated the infected woman that we have been keeping in the isolation room with trial medicine AA719, it had almost little effect on her and within an hour she had taken her last breath. We were hopeful that this would be a breakthrough, Joly has spent many hours with this drug and our supplies are starting to run out. Courfeyrac grew up not far from this town we are currently residing in and assured us there was a hospital near by where we might be able to collect more supplies if we can find safe transportation. However, I fear that Joly is starting to loose heart in our fight. With every trial medicine that fails, he deflates more and more. Keeping his mood up is hard, we sing to pass the time as we slave away in our small lab at the back of the medical room and often we are still there late into the hours of the night whilst everyone else sleeps but I believe we can do this. This is our purpose, to find the cure that will save mankind._

_We constantly reminded, however, that we are far from finding a cure for this disease that has taken hold of the population and I wonder how we will treat the entire country with it when we finally come across it. We are small in number, we counted today and there are only 32 of us hidden in the compound, ten of which are children. I know there must be more people out there, possibly hiding in groups like we are but we have no way to contact them. It would be nice to be able to do so,we have no news of the outside world apart from what we have learned from Eponine over the past week. We can only assume we are not the only country that is infected now. The likelihood is that the rest of the world is slowly becoming infected, also._

_Tomorrow will be christmas day, the first one I have spent away from my family. It is strange to think that this time last year we would be setting our presents out under the tree, ready for the rest of our family to arrive. This year I am thankful for many more things than I was the last. I am thankful for the loving family that I grew up, I am thankful for all the gifts that they showered me with. I am grateful for the friends that I have met over the years, certainly Enjolras who without I am certain I would be infected by now and lastly, I am thankful for whatever being out there has allowed me to keep my life during this dreadful time._

_No snow has fallen this year. I can not remember the last time we were given a white christmas, but I have hope that we will see one soon. The building is very quiet today, I believe everyone is thinking of their loved ones and praying they are well. Perhaps tomorrow their spirits will be lifted._

_The women have decided they would cook a full christmas dinner, some of the men have even volunteered their services, despite the burned soup incident. There are a handful of presents wrapped beneath the tree for the children that Bahorel chopped down this morning. It' is currently stood in the centre the dinning room, creatively decorated using socks and potatoes._

_To whoever is reading this, I wish you a merry christmas. I hope it is better than the one we are currently having._

_Yours,_

_P. Combeferre._

Combeferre set his pen down on the desk as he rubbed his eyes, tiredly. Enjolras had left him alone in the room, heading off to take over the watch of the gates from the towers and steadily, the building had fallen silent.

He stood from his seat, pushing it under the desk before setting his diary back in it's drawer. A mutual agreement had fallen among everyone that they would never interfere with each others belongings. The few things that everyone had brought with them had mostly been sentimental. Photos of family members, a piece of their childrens clothing, a teddy bear, a doll... For Combeferre it had been his faithful diary that had led him through good times, and bad. There were photos stuffed carefully among it's pages, some of which threatening to break free from the spine from plenty of use. His entire life was described between it's pages, every goal he had accomplished and those that he hadn't. He reflected on everything that went on around him and on the quiet nights, when he was feeling low, his writing allowed him to remember the good times and smile.

He made his way out of the room, pushing the door shut behind him before heading towards the bed that was calling for him. He felt at his pockets, making sure both his gun and his torch were in their correct places as he whistled quietly to himself, a soft tune that he had heard being sung by christmas carollers every year.

He paused as he noticed a faint glow from one of the rooms and pushed the door open. He frowned as he glanced over the tables, spotting the girl sat on the floor in the centre of the room, just beneath the christmas tree with a photo balanced in her lap and her torch shining down on it.

He cleared his throat as he took a step closer to her, not wanting to startle the poor girl. Her eyes shot up, two large brown orbs staring into his own before he quickly looked away. "I didn't want to intrude..." He told her, gently as she wiped at her eyes on the back of her sleeve. "I saw you torch, I'm sorry. I just wanted to check you were okay."

She forced a sad smile as carefully folded the photo and tucked it into her pocket. "It's fine, Monsieur Combeferre," she told him as she climbed to her feet and tucked the torch back into the sleeve of her jacket as she kept hold of it. "I was about to go to bed, anyway."

"Would you like me to walk you back, Eponine?" She hesitated at the offer before nodding her head and falling in step beside him. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, a pleasant silence falling between them. Finally, Combeferre glanced at her before tilting his head to the side. "Excuse me for being so up front... but how old are you?"

"Nineteen," she told him, smiling slightly. "I know, I look like a kid but I swear, I am nineteen."

He nodded his head as he glanced her over. She was small for her age, the top of her head coming only just up to his shoulder and she was worryingly skinny. Skinny enough that he could probably fit his hands around her waist he if he tried but there was something about her that made her seem older, wiser almost. He gave her a small smile as she stepped closer to him, her arms wrapping around herself in the dark. "Do you have any siblings."

"Yes," she smiled faintly as she glanced down at her feet. "I have a sister, she's eighteen. Her names Azelma and then there's Gavroche. He got put into care a few years ago but we still see him around a bit and Azelma was living with my parents. I haven't seen them in a while... maybe a week before all of this..."

"You didn't live at home then?" He asked her curiously.

She shook her head. "No, I was living with a... a sort of friend," she sighed. "Just some guy, no one really important. I didn't get on with my parents, Azelma didn't either. She was going to come live with me and we were going to get Gavroche. You know, so it would be the three of us again."

"I'm sure when this is all over that will happen," he told her, gently. "Would you stay in Paris?"

"I think so. It's only place I've ever lived. Azelmas always fancied England, though... we'd need money first. I worked for a bit at this bar, the pay wasn't great but the tips were okay. I don't think it would be enough for the three of us though and Azelma hasn't got a job and Gavroche would be in school... It's hard, you know?"

"I don't know," he admitted, quietly. His entire life Combeferre had lived in the comfort of his parents wealth. He only had to ask for something and they would get it for him without any questions. He never abused their wealth, none of them did. In fact, a majority of their money was donated to charity but he couldn't help but feel guilt for living an easier life than most, whilst everyone else struggled.

She chewed her lip as she shrugged her shoulders, forcing a small smile. "I know it's a stupid idea... it probably wouldn't even work and we don't even have the money for some fancy lawyer, but it's just nice to dream. Some days are just... hard but then I think about how one day we'll be back together, even if we have to wait until Gav is old enough to move out on his own... but it'll be the three of us again, one day. I know it."

Combeferre listened to her as she spoke, his smile genuine as he nodded along with her. "Enjolras is almost a lawyer," he told her before continuing as she shot him a confused look. "He studied law at University with Courfeyrac, that's how they met. Enjolras was only a semester away from finishing, Courfeyrac got held back a year... too much partying and not enough studying, but he's still smart, don't get me wrong. I bet after this is all done with, Enjolras would help you. Maybe you should talk to him about it..."

She scoffed as she stared at him disbelief. "I don't think if I even had the money to pay him for it, he'd do it. Every time I see his smug face I want to punch it."

His smile faded slightly. "You're both stubborn, I hope you don't mind me saying. I've known Enjolras for a long time, I know how he is. He isn't always like this, you know... but I think you're just as bad as he is. The only way you're going to get along here is if one of you backs down, I'm not saying it should be you... but I'm not sure he's willing to back down in an argument any time soon... but if one of you would, I think you'd like one another."

"I'm not stubborn!" She protested with a small pout as they stopped outside the bedroom.

He crossed his arms against his chest as he raised his eyebrow at her. "I don't believe that for one minute," he told her before glancing at the door. "It's getting late, I should really be getting some sleep myself... thank you for walking with me, Eponine."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Thanks for making sure I didn't get eaten by rogue wandering zombies."

He frowned. "They're not zombies, per se... but that doesn't matter right now, we can talk about that another time. Right now I feel it would benefit us both if we slept. I don't fancy having Joly wake me up to lecture me, and I'm sure neither do you."

"You know, you talk an awful lot," she grinned as she placed her hand on the door handle and pushed it down. "Good night, Combeferre."

He smiled as he nodded his head in acknowledgement of her comment. "People say I do. I try not to voice all of my thoughts, I don't believe anyone else would have the time to respond in conversation. Good night, Eponine."

She gave him one last smile before she stepped into the room and shut the door quietly behind her, leaving the man alone in the corridor.

* * *

 

A cheer filled the air, pulling Enjolras' concentration away from the map set out in front of him. He frowned as he got to his feet, curiously following the noise back to the dinning room. He stepped inside, raising his eyebrow as he was greeted by the sight of Courfeyrac, Bahorel, Jehan and Feuilly stood on a table, taking an over exaggerated bow together.

He cleared his throat as he made his way through the crowd, glancing around at the unfamiliar bottles that they held in their hands. He frowned as he looked up at his friends, narrowing his eyes. "What's going on?"

"We raided the pub!" Bahorel announced as he jumped off of the table and held a bottle out to the blonde. "Have a drink."

Enjolras scowled as his grip tightened around the bottle. "You went out without telling anyone? You could have gotten infected! You had no back up!"

"Lighten up," Courfeyrac sighed as he stepped off of the table whilst Jehan and Feuilly continued to pass out more of the bottles. "It's christmas. We're allowed to celebrate, aren't we?"

Combeferre smiled as he joined them, patting Enjolras on the back. "One day of relaxing isn't going to hurt anyone. We'll work twice as hard tomorrow."

Enjolras frowned as he turned, looking at the group gathered around them, smiling happily for the first time in days as they talked among themselves. Everyone could see that spirits were getting low in the building and perhaps this was what they needed. He sighed before raising the bottle to his mouth and taking a swig, closing his eyes as he savoured the taste of the liquid. Combeferre grinned as he watched his friend before taking his own beer and disappearing into the crowd.

"Quiet!" Jehan shouted over the crowd as he stepped back up onto the table. He frowned as he cleared his throat, trying to speak up over the voices that filled the air. "Everyone! Be quiet!"

Bahorel appeared beside the smaller man suddenly, pressing his fingers into his mouth as he whistled. "Oi!" He yelled as the room fell silent before gesturing to Jehan. "Our young poet has something to say."

Jehan smiled at Bahorel before stepping forward, a grin spreading across his face. "Beer wasn't the only thing we managed to salvage. We didn't have any time to wrap them but we have presents for everyone! We took everything that we could, there's more than enough to go around."

Excited whispers were exchanged as Feuilly and Courfeyrac dragged a couple of sacks into the room and yanked them up onto the table before joining their friends. They reached into the sacks as they began to pass down the items into the crowd. They had everything, from clothes to toys, books and paper, even soap and shampoos. It was obvious that they had come from the houses, Enjolras wasn't even sure how they had managed it in the short time they had been gone but somehow they had and the small gesture had brought back a fight into the group.

He frowned as a jumper was pressed into his hands before raised his eyebrow at Courfeyrac. The man smiled back at him before shrugging his shoulders. "It's red. You like red, right?"

Enjolras rolled his eyes as he took another swig from his beer before making his way out of the crowd, heading for somewhere more secluded. He frowned as he paused, looking at the girl who sat at the back of the room, perched on the edge of the table and showing no sign of joining the group. His lips formed into a thin line as he stared at her, remembering the last interaction he had had with her almost a week ago.

Suddenly, Jehan appeared at his side and pressed a beer into his hand along with a dark green jacket. "Can you go give these to her, I have more presents to give out," he told him innocently. Before Enjolras had time to protest, the man had weaved his way back through the crowd and towards the table, leaving him with no other option other than the fulfil the mans request.

Enjolras sighed before scowling down at the items. He could just put them down on the table and she'd find them herself sooner or later, but Jehan had entrusted this task on him and he didn't want to let him down. He stayed glued to the spot, holding the gifts before he finally walked towards her after a few minutes of silent debate, keeping his eyes fixed on her as she turned her head and looked at him curiously.

He awkwardly held out the beer, watching as she warily took it from him. "Thank you... I think?"

He forced a small smile before holding out the jacket. "These are from Jehan, not from me."

She scoffed at him as she rolled her eyes, taking the lid off of the bottle taking a glug from the bottle. He watched silently as she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and placed the bottle down beside her and taking the jacket. She wasn't the most ladylike person she had ever come across and her very presence in the building grated against his nerves but he didn't turn away from her. Instead he stood in front of her silently, waiting for something but not knowing what.

"Can you sit down or something? You just standing there makes me feel...awkward..."

"Oh..." He frowned as he grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the table before sitting down in and staring up at her.

She frowned as she glanced at him before sighing. "What?"

"What do you mean what?" He frowned.

"Why are you staring at me?" She demanded, crossing her arms against her chest as the jacket laid forgotten in her lap.

He scowled slightly as he looked away, refusing to return his gaze to her. "I wasn't staring, I was looking at you,  _actually._

She scowled at the back of his head, not realising that the room had begun to quieten as the pair bickered. "But why?" She demanded.

"Because looking at people is something normal people do to interact," he replied icily, his mood instantly changing back to previous state before he rose to his feet. The girl was too infuriating to be around and he had so many other things he should be doing right now, and so should everyone else. They'd had their fun, now they needed to work.

However, before he could address the room and order them to break up this non sense, everyone turned towards the door at the other side of the dining room that led to the kitchen as it swung open and a small brunette woman came rushing out, carrying a large tray of various slices of meat that the men had managed to salvage from the shops. "Dinner is served!" She called cheerily as everyone began chatting enthusiastically as they moved towards the tables that had been pushed together in the centre of the room.

Jehan grinned excitedly as he skipped towards them, his braided hair bouncing merrily against his bright green jumper. "Come on," he ordered as he grabbed hold of Eponines hand. He reached for Enjolras' but the blonde managed to escape before the young poet could get hold of him, and made his own way towards the table.

Eponine scowled at Enjolras as he walked in front of them before sticking her tongue out at the back of his head. Jehan smirked as he glanced at her sidewards. "You learn to love him."

"I think I already learned to hate him," she mumbled as she took her seat at the table, wedged between Jehan and Bahorel on the wooden bench, with Combeferre sat opposite her. Beside him sat Joly and to the side of him, Courfeyrac and then Enjolras.

The table was already set with plates and soon various trays of food began to appear in the middle of the table, piled high with vegetables and meat, gravy and cranberry sauce... just enough to feed them all, but not too much that it would use up their dwindling supply of food.

Eponine frowned at her plate as she carefully began to take some of the food, only serving herself a small portion whilst everyone else scooped generous amounts onto their own plates.

_Eponine laughed as she ran down the stairs, her sister following her a few steps behind. She had waited all year for christmas, making sure to be on her very best behaviour! She'd wrote santa a letter and pushed it through her letter box when her parents forgot to post it, just to make sure that santa got it in plenty of time so would receive all the gifts she wanted!_

_Christmas was always her favourite time of year, especially at the age of six when the magic still seemed real. She loved the way the houses were decorated, and even the trees outside were wrapped with long strands of white lights. She liked the christmas songs she always heard on the radio, singing about reindeer and santa clause... she liked it even more when it snowed, but best of all she liked the presents._

_Santa always got her exactly what she wanted, and often even more things that she could never even imagine! Her birthday that year she hadn't received much, just a couple of books and a new pair of shoes... and Azelma hadn't got much either for hers. Since their little brother, Gavroche, had been born their parents spent less and less money on them. Sometimes it was hard not to be jealous of the baby. Before he had come along the two sisters had received everything they had wanted, even if it wasn't their birthday or christmas... but this year, that hadn't been the case._

_Eponine burst through the living room doors, running straight towards the christmas tree before she halted. Her sister stopped just in time to avoid colliding into the back of the older girl before she peered around her to see what was wrong. When she realised, her expression fell and she clutched at Eponines arm with a sniff._

_They hadn't been bad at all that year. They hadn't trampled the flowers, or wrote on any of the wallpaper. They hadn't made their neighbours shout, and they hadn't been too noisy... they didn't make the baby cry, except for once when Eponine took the babies teddy...but it was her teddy first and she wanted to play with him that day..._

_She frowned before turning to look at her sister who stared up at her with watery eyes. "It's okay, 'Zelma," she told her, taking her hand. "I bet santas just late... because he has a real long way to come and lots of other children to visit... I bet he'll come later or maybe tomorrow!"_

" _Did we do something wrong?" The red head asked as she clutched onto her sisters hand, her lip trembling as she tried to understand why they hadn't got a single present between them._

" _No," Eponine told her with certainty. "Come on, lets go check the shoes! Maybe he put something in there. If they're empty, we know he hasn't been yet!"_

 _Azelmas eyes lit up as she listened to her sisters suggestion before she nodded her head. "But he_ will _come, wont he?"_

" _Of course he will, silly. Santa doesn't forget about anyone!" Eponine smiled as she led her sister towards the fireplace._

She jumped as she felt a hand on her arm, looking up from her plate as she met Jehans eyes. He frowned as he watched her, concern etched upon his face. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

She blushed before nodding her head, picking up her fork. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ferre asked you to pass the gravy..." He explained, smiling at her sympathetically.

"Oh..." She smiled sheepishly as she picked up the gravy boat and passed it across the table to the doctor. "Sorry, I didn't hear you. I was just... thinking."

He smiled at her kindly, nodding her head in understanding. "Is this your first christmas away from your family?"

She hesitated before shaking her head. "Not my whole family.. I mean, me and my sister used to have chrismtas together... sometimes our brother would come over as well..."

"Do you know if they're safe?" Combeferre asked her, his voice was soft as he poured the gravy over the food on his plate, glancing up at her.

She shook her head quietly. Jehan reached over, placing his hand over hers and squeezing it gently. "I'm sure they're fine, where ever they are."

"Are they much younger?" Combeferre asked her gently.

"Azelmas a year younger than me... Gavs about five years younger... I haven't seen them in a while," she admitted.

Combeferre gave her a sympathetic smile as he raised his glass. Courfeyrac leaned over Joly, almost squishing the poor doctor as he topped up the glass in the other mans hand with more wine. "To friends and family still out there."

A gentle murmur of voices passed down the table as they repeated the toast, raising their own glasses and clinking them against one another. Eponine smiled faintly as lifted her own glass, and met it against Combeferres. "Merry christmas, Eponine," he smiled as he took a small sip of his wine.

She nodded her head. "Merry christmas."


	4. Chapter 4

In the following weeks snow began to fall, covering the ground in a thick blanket of pure white. It covered the old debris that surrounded them, washed away old blood and dirt that covered the ground and gave everyone hope as the snow drops and daffodils began to poke their heads through the snow, bringing new life to a world where it seemed near impossible. New years eve came and went, spent in the dining room with the left over food from Christmas. Spirits were high and they remained high for the month that followed.

Eponine had found her place in the group, spending most of her time either with Combeferre, occasionally watching him work in the lab, or with Jehan as he scrawled various words over the walls of the make shift armoury, often about the beauty of the world…. A world that none of them knew.

But now it was almost February and even though the snow was still continuing to fall, growing a thicker blanket on top of the one that had already fallen, life still went on inside the building. The heating had broken a few days before and all of Bahorels hitting the boiler with wrench whilst Feuilly tried to help him with somewhat unhelpful words of encouragment had done nothing.

One by one the inhabitants of the building had moved their stuff into the dining room, setting up their mattresses on the floor side by side along with their blankets. Joly had insisted that the best way to stay warm was through body heat and he had been right. It was much warmer packed together than to be spread out across the building.

Eponine sat on her own mattress, staring up at the ceiling. She was wedged in between Bahorel and Jehan who had pushed the mattress together against hers along with Feuilly and Combeferre who had added their own mattresses to theirs. Now they all sat gathered together with a card game going on between them.

She glanced down at them, raising her eyebrow as she watched Bahorel throw a pile of nuts onto the strange mix of food that they were playing for. He’d tried to explain earlier, that in poker you play for money using chips but they had neither and so, they were playing for the food they had left over from Christmas. She’d never been into card games, especially not poker. It was a game that her parents had played with their friends and it never ended well. There would always be a fight, or someone would be accused of cheating and those nights were always the worst.

She sighed as she stood up, carefully stepping over the pile in the middle of the mattresses and made her way out of the room. She pulled the torch from her pocket, using it to light the corridor as she wandered along. She frowned as a light caught her eye further down and hesitantly she made her way towards it. She was certain Combeferre had told her that all of the inhabitants were staying in the dining room, but the flickering light suggested otherwise.

She peered through the window, watching curiously as the flickering light of the candle illuminated the blonde curls on top of Enjolras’ head. She stood silently for a few minutes as he leaned over the paper on his desk, writing away until he stopped. Slowly he turned his head, his eyes widening as he jumped to his feet as he finally noticed the shadowy figure on the other side of the window. He reached for his gun as he took a step back and quickly, Eponine raised the torch to her face. His eyes almost doubled in size again before he slowly lowered his gun, his expression turning sour as he scowled at her.

She reached for the door handle but he was quicker, blocking her from entering. He threw the door open as he glared at her, crossing his arms against his chest. “I almost shot you!” He snapped. “What are you doing creeping around like that? Do you like watching people?”

She opened her mouth, about to reply with a curt answer before she decided better. She quickly closed her mouth again, gritting her teeth. “I saw a light,” she told him coldly. “I came to see what it was.”

“And then you just decided to _watch_ _me_? This isn’t a zoo,” he told her. “You shouldn’t be out here anyway. Everyone needs to stay accounted for.”

She sighed as she rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I went wandering around outside.”

His eyes narrowed as he glanced her up and down. “You didn’t, did you?”

“Of course not. I’m not stupid,” she snapped. “I’m not just going to go out there on my own. I was sick of being sat in that room, I just wanted to go for a walk. I didn’t realise that was a crime in here now!”

“It’s not a crime,” he snapped. “Did you at least tell someone where you were going? Did you tell Combeferre?”

She hesitated. “No, I didn’t…. I wasn’t going to be gone for long. Just a few minutes.”

“Well next time tell someone. Just not Bahorel, he has a tendency to forget these things,” he sighed impatiently as he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face as he watched her. “You should go back.”

“I’m not done with my walk yet,” she scowled at him as she took a step back.

He frowned as he mirrored her, following her into the corridor. “Go back,” he told her. “You’ll get lost and end up in the isolation room again.”

“That was _once_ ,” she told him. “I think I know my way around a bit better now.”

“I’ll escort you back,” he told her as he grabbed hold of her arm. She scowled as she stepped back again, yanking her arm out of his grasp as he shot her another glare. “Walk!”

“I’m not going anywhere with you!” She hissed. “I know my way around, I know where I’m going and I have a freaking gun now! I’m not going to go wandering out and getting myself bit by one of them!”

For a moment she was certain he was about to attack. His face screwed up in frustration as he took another step closer to her and her heart began to pound as she shuffled backwards. She’d seen that exact expression many times before, never in here, but before. She was ready to run, to get away from him when she heard footsteps. She turned quickly, just in time to see Combeferre come marching towards them with Jehan in tow.

Enjolras sighed in frustration. “Is something wrong?” He asked as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Combeferre frowned, slowly shaking his head as he glanced at Eponine, giving her a small smile. “No, we’re going to go take over the watch.”

“It’s time already?” Enjorlas asked as he glanced back inside the office behind them, looking at the clock that hung on the wall, steadily ticking away.

“You’ve been in here all day,” Jehan pointed out as he stopped beside Eponine. “Want to come with us? We can show you what we do! It’s really easy.”

“She’ll get in the way. Just leave her with Bahorel,” Enjolras snapped as he turned and left them, slamming the door behind him as he returned to the office. Combeferre shot her an apologetic smile before he stepped inside the office after Enjolras.

Jehan frowned for a moment before his expression softened. He quickly linked his arm through hers and guided her back down the corridor. “Combeferre will catch up with us. Joly is on watch at the moment,” he told her. “We keep watch in pairs, just in case anything happens. We just sit and watch for anything strange, basically.”

“Right…” she forced a small smile as she glanced over her shoulder warily. “Does he get like that often?”

The poet frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side as he looked at her. He shook his head slowly, forcing his own smile for her. “No, just when he’s passionate about something. I’m sure you just caught him in a bad mood…”

He led her outside in silence, holding the door open for her as they stepped outside. She shivered in the cold night air, hugging her jacket tightly around herself as Jehan led the way through the dark. She followed a few steps behind him, frowning slightly as they headed towards the gates. “Are we going out there…?”

Jehan laughed as he shook his head, his hair bobbing along with him in its braid as he stopped at the base of one of the watch towers. “No, we go in here,” he told her. “There’s a door just around the side, see? It’s kind of out of sight. Enjolras won’t let us go out here unless we have to.”

He opened the door for her again and gestured for her to go inside. She slowly made her way up the stairs, holding tightly onto the handrail as the staircase twisterd around the inside of the round building. She blinked at the sudden brightness of the room as Joly quickly stood up with a frown until Jehan appeared a few steps behind her.

“There’s electric in here…?” She frowned as she turned around on the spot, staring up at the light. “I haven’t seen electric since… for months…”

“There’s a generator in the building,” Jehan told her as he took the riffle that Joly held out to him and quickly sat down in one of the empty seats facing the window. “The whole building gets electric, someone is still running electric somewhere, we think. Or at least, it never got turned off and there’s no one there to turn it off now. We wont really know until something happens to it but we don’t want to risk using up whatever electric is left, you know? If we turn on everything it might override the system or something. So we only use electric where we need it.”

Joly yawned as he stood up, stretching his arms as he interrupted them. “As much as I’d like to stay and chat… I really need to sleep,” he told him apologetically.

Jehan gave him a small smile. “Sleep well,” he told him as he watched Joly retreat down the stairs, followed closely with a slightly older man. “You too, Pierre!”

Eponine frowned slightly as she hesitantly sat down in one of the now empty chairs, glancing down at the board in front of them that contained various buttons. “What is all this?”

“Never touch anything unless you’re told too,” Jehan instructed as he wheeled his chair closer to hers and began pointing out various buttons. “This one here is for the gates, that’s the important one. We keep them shut all the time, unless someone is going out but then we have to make sure that there’s none of _them_ out there, or at least nearby. This one over here is a siren, that’s in case something massive happens and we need everyones attention… like if loads of them turn up. We have flood lights here, we don’t use those in case they draw attention to us and over here is the lockdown button… if one got in we press this, we’ve never had to use it but we’ve tested it. That will lock the doors to the watch tower and to the building, hopefully to hold them off from getting in…”

“Do you think that might happen one day?” She asked him warily as she stared at the button.

“We’d hope not…” He told her quietly. “But it could, you know? And if it does, there’s a kind of nuclear shelter sort of thing inside where we’d all go to. I don’t know what we’d do from there… hopefully Ferre and Joly would have found a cure by then…”

“And if not?” She asked him.

“Then at least we’d die alongside out friends,” he told her with a small smile.

“We’ll find a cure soon,” Combeferre told them quietly from the top of the stairs, taking both of them by surprise. Eponine looked up at him, catching his eye as he gave her a reassuring smile. “We’re going to find a cure for this and end this. It’ll all be over. We still have hope.”

* * *

 

Eponine spent the night sat alongside Combeferre and Jehan, staring out into the darkness as they waited for something, _anything_ to happen. They told stories to pass the time, stories of their childhoods, their school years, their families… it turned out that for a couple of years when Combeferre was a child he hadn’t lived too far from where Eponine and her family had lived, and Jehan had once been sat in the crowd at a concert that Eponine had attended.

Courfeyrac and Bahorel showed up at three in the morning to relieve them and tiredly, the three of them trudged back to the dining room before navigating their way back to their mattresses, carefully stepping over the others that were already fast asleep.

Finally, they found their mattresses in the middle of the room where they had left them, with Bahorel sprawled out, taking up most of the mattresses whilst Joly slept quietly on his own mattress that was wisely a few feet away.

Jehan climbed onto the mattresses without batting an eyelash, making himself comfy as he rested his head on the mans bare chest. Combeferre awkwardly scratched at the back of his neck as he glanced at the remaining space. “I can go see if there’s a spare mattress anywhere if you prefer?”

She smiled faintly as she shook her head. “No, it’s fine. At least it might be warm… but I’m surprised he isn’t cold like that…”

Combeferre laughed lightly. “Bahorel is a…. unique individual and I’m certain Joly will have something to say about it in the morning.”

She smiled as watched Combeferre carefully step over Jolys mattress before offering his hand to help her over. She carefully followed him until she was stood close to him in the small space, quickly letting go of his hand.

“Would you prefer to sleep next to Bahorel or on the outside?” He asked her with a quizzical look. She glanced down at the mattress before sitting down and carefully moving until she was laid beside Bahorel, leaving a slither of space between them. “Good choice.”

She closed her eyes as she felt the mattress dip, Combeferre joining her a few moments later. When she opened her eyes she was greeted by the sight of the back of his hair. She smiled faintly as she stared at the mop of chestnut hair before closing her eyes once more. “Goodnight,” she whispered.

“G’night Eponine,” he replied sleepily.

* * *

 

Morning came too quickly and Eponine was woken too soon for her liking. She blinked sleepily, frowning slightly as she nuzzled into the warmth that surrounded her without a single thought. She jumped suddenly as the mass beneath her began to move, her eyes widening as she realised that itwas Bahorel laughing. She sat up quickly, almost falling back in surprise as the man grinned at her. “Morning sunshine,” he smirked.

She blushed as she edged away from him, glancing around to find them alone on the mattresses. “Where did everyone go?”

“Ferre went to see if Enjolras got any sleep last night and the others went out. We didn’t want to wake you so I stayed behind,” he smirked.

“I.. you didn’t have to do that, you could have woke me,” she replied as she stretched her legs with a yawn. “What time is it?”

“I don’t know, probably about eight or something?” He shrugged.

She groaned as she flopped back down on the mattress, grabbing one of the discarded blankets to cover her face with. “It’s too early.”

Bahorel laughed as he stood up, navigating his way around the mattresses. “If you want breakfast I suggest you get up now before it’s all gone.”

“I’d rather sleep,” she mumbled tiredly as rolled over, burying her face into the mattress.

“Suit yourself,” he laughed.

She fell back to sleep easily, managing to only get another hours sleep before she was woken again, this time by voices filling the room. With a defeated groan she got up, running her fingers through her hair to yank the knots out before she made her way out of the room.

She wandered slowly, struggling to keep her eyes open as she passed the office where Enjolras sat deep in conversation with Combeferre. She paused for a moment, remembering her conversation with the blonde the night before, before she quickly continued to walk.

A few minutes later she found herself stood outside the armoury. She placed her hand on the door, slowly pushing it open as she looked inside to see if there was anyone there. Jehan smiled brightly at her as she entered, skipping over to her. Her paused, tilting his head to the side as he clicked his tongue. “You look tired.”

“I _am_ tired,” she yawned as she rubbed at her eyes. “How are you not?”

“You get used to it,” he told her. “I was going to ask if you wanted to shoot some stuff… but I’m worried you might accidentally shoot yourself right now. Want to come and help me decorate?”

She smirked as she raised her eyebrow, glancing at the partially covered wall. “How did you manage to reach up there?”

Jehan pouted at her for a moment before dropping back down onto his knees to continue the verse he’d been writing. “Feuilly helped me. I told him what to write and he wrote it.”

She nodded her head as she knelt down beside him, picking one of the marker pens up off of the floor. “Shouldn’t we save these in case there’s a marker shortage or something?”

Jehan grinned as he grabbed hold of the bag beside him and thrust it into her arms. She raised her eyebrow as she glanced inside, her eyes widening at the amount of pens. “I brought them with me, I don’t think we’ll run out for a while and they always bring back any pens they find for me, any way.”

“I guess not…” She told him, raising her eyebrow. “So… what do you want me to do?”

“Are you any good at poetry?” He asked her curiously. “Or drawing? I’d like some art on my walls… to brighten it up a bit.”

“I’m not really… arty,” she told him with a frown.

“That’s okay, I wrote some out in case anyone was stuck,” he told her cheerfully as he pushed a pile of paper towards her. “Pick one you like.”

She cautiously took the pages from him and slowly began reading through them, one by one. There were hundreds of them, most of them were wrote by Jehan himself whilst others were ones that he had remembered. She sighed as she laid down on the floor, resting her head in his lap as he continued to write on the wall, smiling contently to herself as she continued to read them. “I like this one,” she told him, finally.

“Which one is it? Read it to me!”

She frowned slightly. “I’m not really good at reading poetry…”

“Nonsense,” he scolded her lightly as he glanced down at her. “Everyone is good at reading poetry, they do it in their own way. Every poet is… unique! Go on, I know you can do it!”

“In this short Life that only lasts an hour, how much -how little –is within our power,” she read, smiling faintly down at the page in her hand.

Jehan smiled as he sat back listening to her. “Ah, my dear sweet Emily Dickinson!” He sighed, looking up to the ceiling. “A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.”

“Won’t you run out of space eventually?” She asked him as she sat up. She glanced at the bag beside her and picked out one of the pens.

“No, we have the entire building it write on!” He smiled. “And I will never run out of words to say!”

Jehan frowned as voices filled the air outside the room and cautiously placed the lid back on the pen before standing. Eponine followed him, peering around the door as he pushed it open. Her eyes widened as she watched Combeferre help Feuilly carry a man down the corridor, each with one of his arms around his shoulder whilst his head lolled to the side. His dark hair was matted, stuck to his face and covered in dirt whilst his clothes were torn and bloodied.

She took a step back, glancing at Jehan he watched them curiously. “Who is that?” She whispered.

Jehan frowned before shaking his head, stepping out the room. “I don’t know, I’ve never seen him before…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering, the two poems in this are 'In a short life' and 'A word is dead' both by Emily Dickinson.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They discover who the new guest is, kind of...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This turned out shorter than I intended but I'm going away for a week and I just couldn't get the next scene right. So, It'll hopefully be up as soon as I get back!  
> Sorry this is basically just filler..

Silence filled the compound whilst everyone waited for news on the new comer. Jehan had ran off to help out Joly and Combeferre, her were soon joined by Enjolras and Courfeyrac. Outside the hospital wing, Bahorel and Feuilly stood watch, refusing to allow anyone near the ward without getting Enjolras’ permission before hand and apparently he had no intention to allow anyone in there with them, meaning Eponine was now stood alone in the corridor, wondering what on earth she was meant to do from here.

She sighed as she wandered, looking around at the various stretches of walls on either side on her. For the most part, she didn’t know where hardly any of the doors led off to. She knew the bathroom, she knew the dining room and her shared bedroom… She knew Enjolras’ office and the hospital wing, along with the room where they kept their _experiments_ locked up, and finally the armoury but that was it. She’d never had any need to see what was behind any of the other doors and despite her curiousity, she wasn’t sure if she would want to go exploring on her own. After what had happened the first time she had stumbled through the wrong door, it had put her off blindly going into a new room… Perhaps she could ask Jehan to truly show her around, but for now she’d just have to find her own way to occupy herself.

She hesitated outside Enjolras’ office, curiously glancing inside through the window and at the notice board that hung on the wall. No one would know she was in there… Everyone was sat waiting for news in the dining room and if there was anything he didn’t want anyone to see, he wouldn’t just hang it up there…

She pushed the door open and shut it behind herself quietly, checking one last time to make sure she wasn’t being watched before she slowly made her way to the notice board. She frowned as she looked at the various photographs that were pinned up, tracing her finger over them curiously. The glossy material felt cold under her touch as she tried to process what she was seeing.

Three photographs were pinned up, each one portraying a couple in their early thirties. They looked… normal. They looked like any other couple that she would have once seen on the streets. The woman had vivid red hair, whilst the man had blonde. She seemed to have a preference for floral dresses, whilst he wore waist coats and suede jackets. In one of the photos the woman was holding a little boy in her arms. He was staring up at the man with a chubby grin, his little hand reaching out to him. In the second, the little boy was slightly bigger and was taking a wide step towards the man who crouched with open arms whilst the woman looked on with a smile, her hands clutched against her chest and the final one was torn… The couple were together, dressed in what looked like white lab coats and between them they were holding some kind of award that she couldn’t quite make out… On the womans hip the photograph had been torn and she could just see a foot resting against her stomach, which she assumed could only belong to the toddler that was in the other photos.

She shook her head as she moved on, glancing at the various diagrams that were also pinned beside the photographs. In the very centre of the notice board was a hand drawn diagram of a person with various labels leading off. She didn’t understand most of them, they looked like medical names for various body parts.

“Cere… Cerebellum degeneration…” She frowned as she took one of the pieces of paper off of the notice board and hesitantly sat down on the computer chair at the desk. She chewed her lip as she flicked through the report, glancing over the various terms and explanations.

_Damage to the fusiform gyrus result in impaired face recognition. Superirio temporal gyrus damage impairs ability to process emotional facial expressions. Lesions in the temporal parietal junction result in inability to process language and speech. Finally, damage to the orbitofrontal cortex results in behaviour such as biting others._

She quickly stood up, pinning the papers back to the board as she took a step back. Her hands trembled by her sides as she stared at the pages in front of her. She felt sick, she wanted to get away from them, as if it would solve the issue but she knew it wouldn’t. Somewhere out there were her siblings, out there among _them_ and they could easily be next…

She frantically began searching through the papers, grabbing a couple more off the board as she spread them out on the desk. She had to know how close they were to finding a cure. She had to know that there was some hope that one day Joly and Combeferre would have the cure in their procession and they could fix all of this.

She pushed the first paper out of the way when she found no evidence that it mentioned any kind of cure of treatment before moving onto the second, and then the third. She froze as she stared down at the pages in her hands and slowly sunk down into the seat, flicking through the pages before going back to the start. _Alexander Enjolras Snr._

She jumped as the door opened and quickly stood up, blocking the desk from sight as she found herself staring at Enjolras. He scowled as he reached around her, his body barely inches from hers as he grabbed the papers off of his desk and glanced down at them. His scowl deepened as he tightened his grip on them, crumbling them in his fist. “What the hell are you doing in here?” He demanded.

She looked down, avoiding his gaze as she awkwardly played with her fingers. “I… was just curious…” She told him hesitantly.

His lips set in a firm line as he marched past his, pinning the papers back in their correct place before looking over the board to make sure she hadn’t disturbed anything else. Slowly, he turned back to face her, his steely gaze setting back on her again. “Don’t _ever_ touch my stuff,” he told her coldly.

She nodded her head slowly as she glanced up from behind the hair that fell over her face, swallowing hard when she finally met his gaze. “Those pictures…” She began.

“Are nothing,” he snapped, cutting her off. “They’re just photographs. That’s all they are. Are you quite done yet?”

She gave another quick nod of her head as she straightened up, sticking her hands in her pocket as she headed towards the door. “Hey, uh… can I ask you something?” She asked suddenly as she reached for the door handle.

Enjolras sighed impatiently as he sunk into the chair, resting his elbows against the desk as he put his head in his hands. “ _What?_ ” He replied sharply.

She jumped at the coldness in his voice, brushing her fingers over the cold door handle. “Who was your Father?”

He gritted his teeth as he looked up, catching her eyes with his own again. A shiver ran down her spine as she looked back at him silently, her hand still resting on the door handle as she waited for him to reply. Finally, after a minute had passed he stood up and took a step closer to her. “ _Get out,”_ he told her coldly.

Quickly she yanked the door open and stepped out, staring back at him over her shoulder as she shut the door behind her. She only managed to take a single step before she collided with another body, her head quickly snapping around as she found herself face to face with Courfeyrac.

He laughed as he took a step back, allowing her a bit of space as he glanced at the door behind her. “He’s still in a bad mood, huh?”

“When isn’t he in a bad mood?” She scoffed as she stepped around Courfeyrac and made to walk down the corridor. After only a few steps she was joined by the man again. “Need something?”

He laughed as he threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into his side. “Don’t get all sulky because Enj got all angry. He does that a lot, you get used to it.”

“He’s not exactly the friendliest person,” she told him.

“Actually, he is… once you get to know him. He’s kind of like an onion, you know? You’ve just got to get in there. He’s a bit snappy at first but once he gets to know you, he’ll trust you,” he explained, running his fingers through his inky curls. “And I think he’ll like you.”

“Why?” She scoffed.

“Because he needs someone that’s not scared to talk back to him,” he told her with a grin. “I bet you’ll be the best of friends in no time.”

“I can’t think of anything worse,” she told him.

Courfeyrac rolled his eyes as he let go of her, allowing her to step towards the dining room as he headed towards the main doors. He paused with a small grin. “And maybe he’ll be good for you!” He called as he disappeared outside.

  __

* * *

Eponine found Bahorel and Feuilly sat on top of the mattress pile with a pack of cards. She frowned slightly as she watched them, trying to work out what game they were playing until she heard Bahorel proudly boom ‘go fish!’ at the other.

She sighed as she sat down beside them, watching them intently for a few minutes before she finally spoke, interrupting their game. “So who was he?” She asked.

“Don’t know,” Bahorel shrugged as he grabbed a card from the pile in front of them. “Some guy that they found, hiding in some house out there.”

“And he’d just been there the whole time?” She frowned slighty.

Feuilly nodded his head. “They managed to talk to him a bit, he said that he’d lived with his family. He’d seen his sister get turned, he’d been hiding there since. He must have been there at least a month. Any longer and he probably would have died.”

“He’s very malnourished,” Joly chipped in as he took a seat on the mattresses. “And very dehydrated but he’s getting there. Ferres keeping an eye on him whilst he sleeps. He’s very… messed up…”

“What’s his name?” Bahorel asked.

“He goes by ‘R’, we think. It’s all he really said,” the doctor sighed.

“R… Reginald,” Bahorel commented.

“Rolland,” Feuilly responded with more certainty. “He looks like a Rolland. We can call him Rolly for short.”

“Nah, he’s more of a Rodolph,” Bahorel smirked.

Feuilly narrowed his eyes slightly at the other man. “Robby.”

“Raymond,” Bahorel replied without missing a beat. “Ace.”

“Go fish,” Feuilly snapped. “Ronald.”

Bahorel smirked as he slowly took a card, leaning in close to the other. “Ryan.”

“Remy,” Feuilly snapped in response as he brought his face closer to Bahorel. “And you know it.”

Joly cleared his throat as he glanced between the two men before turning his attention back to Eponine. “Maybe you can go visit him.”

“Me?” she frowned slightly. “Why me?”

“Because… I don’t know, he was close to his sister and maybe some female company might help him,” Joly frowned slightly. “And it gives you something to do.”

Bahorel snorted as he nudged Feuilly. “I’m sure we could all use female company.”

Joly blushed as he turned, gawping at the other two. “I didn’t mean that-“ He quickly turned back to Eponine. “I wasn’t implying… I don’t think you’re a… I just meant..”

Eponine rolled her eyes at Bahorel, giving him a mock glare. “I know what you meant, Joly. We’re not all as immature as these two.”

Feuilly grinned as he took the last of Bahorel cards before throwing them down on the pile. “Who is up for cheat, then?”

“I’m going to go see our dear friend Raymond,” Eponine them as she stood up. “He needs some _female company_.”

Joly blushed as he looked up at her again. “sorry…”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eponine meets the infamous R, and Enjolras teaches her about constellations.

Eponine made her way down the corridor, sticking her hands in her pockets uncomfortably. Almost everyone was sat in the dining room leaving the rest of the building deserted and she’d passed not a single soul on her way to the hospital wing. She glanced in side Enjolras’ office as she passed, looking at the back of the blondes head as he sat with his head down, reading over a pile of paper in front of him. Every time she walked past his office he seemed to be in the same position, doing the exact same thing.

She turned the corridor, making her way towards the hospital ward until she was stood outside of it. She knocked lightly on the door before pushing it open and sticking her head around, smiling faintly at Combeferre as he motioned for her to enter. She glanced at the bed, looking at the man that lay on his side under the blanket as she made her way over to the doctor. “Joly said I should visit,” she told him quietly.

He stood up instantly, offering her his seat as he glanced over towards the bed. “He’s been asleep for a while,” he told her quietly. “But I’m sure he’ll wake up soon.”

She nodded her head as she sat down on the seat, placing her hands in her lap as she looked up at Ferre. “Is he okay?”

He smiled faintly and tilted his head to the side. “Well, other than being a bit on the thin side and I suppose a little shook up, he seems fine enough. Just tired, I think. It won’t take long for him to make a full recovery.”

“Has he said much?” She asked him curiously.

“No, not a whole lot,” Ferre sighed as he shrugged his shoulders. “He told us a bit of a story but… other than that, he’s not really told us anything. Do you mind keeping an eye on him for a few minutes? I just need to check in with Enjolras and then I’ll be right back.”

“I… I guess,” she told him, glancing back towards the bed again. “I’ll be fine. He’s sleeping anyway.”

“Just shout if anything happens, okay? I’ll only be down the corridor and Joly will probably be back before I am,” he promised, waiting for her to nod her head before he quickly left the room.

Eponine sighed as she sunk down in the chair, staring at the back of his head as she ran her finger over the gun in her pocket. She sat in silence, listening to his raspy breathing as he slept. His chest rose steadily, before falling again. In and out with every breath…

She glanced up at the clock, watching the seconds tick by until almost ten minutes had passed and nothing had changed. She looked towards the door impatiently, her foot tapping in time with the ticking of the clock as she sighed, leaning her head back.

“Can you stop that? Tryin’ to sleep here…” The man croaked from the bed, causing her jump to her feet in surprise. She had almost forgotten about the man as she zoned out in the silence of the room, and the sudden voice had caused her to throw herself back against the counter behind her, knocking various instruments to the floor as her eyes widened. Her heart pounded against her chest as she grasped the counter tightly, her eyes glued to the back of his head.

“Are you awake..?” She asked warily, slowly letting go of the counter that she was anchored to and taking a step towards the bed.

He rolled over, looking up at her through hooded eyes as her hand shot to her pocket, her fingers closing around the gun. “Well I’m not asleep…”

“You almost gave me a heart attack,” she scolded him as she stopped, glancing over him warily.

“They already checked for bites,” he sighed. “I’m clean. I’m fine. I’m not going to attack you.”

“I… I wasn’t…” She stuttered before taking a deep breath. “What’s your name?”

He frowned at her. “What’s yours?”

“Eponine…” She told him quietly as she glanced towards the door. Combeferre should have been back by now, or Joly at least and she was certain she should probably tell them that he was awake, but at the same time she wasn’t sure how the man would react to her leaving to go fetch one of them. “What does R stand for?”

He sighed as he rolled onto his back, staring up at the tiles that made up the ceiling. “My names Grantaire, my friends used to call me R. It was a stupid nickname sort of thing… it doesn’t matter.”

“What do you want me to call you?” She asked him, chewing her lip. “Joly called you R.”

“Call me whatever you want to call me. Doesn’t really matter now, does it?”

She frowned, slowly taking the chair and pulling it closer to the bed. She sat down on it, leaving a few feet between them as she took the gun out of her pocket and placed it in her lap, just in case. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We’re all going to die, aren’t we?” He smiled coldly up at the ceiling. “We can’t just stay in here forever. We’re all going to get bitten. We’re all going to become one of them and forget who we are. That’s basically being dead.”

She swallowed hard, playing with her fingers as she looked down. “That’s not true,” she told him quietly. “Ferre and Joly, the two doctor guys… they’re coming up with a cure. They’re going to fix this.”

“And how exactly are they going to cure every single one of them _things_ , Eponine?”

“I don’t know… but they’ll find a way. They’ll do it and everything will be fine. Everything will go back to normal and we’ll all have our families back!” She replied defiantly before slowly looking up at him.

He scoffed as he slowly pushed himself up onto his elbows. “You’re living in some kind of fantasy world if you believe that,” he told her coldly. “How long have you been here for?”

She hesitated. “Not long… they found me, like they found you and they brought me here.”

“And brain washed you, obviously. You’re just sitting ducks,” he told her as he managed to sit up and swing his legs out of the bed. “Eventually they’re going to find this place and find a way in and you’re all going to get bitten but I’m not. I’m going to keep moving. I’m not going to end up like them.”

“Like your family, you mean?” She snapped. “They’re out there, they’re just like them now and Joly and Ferre are going to be able to cure them. Don’t you want that?”

“They’re not my family now. They’re not human. They’re gone, they’re not coming back. I’m sure it must be lovely to believe that one day you’re going to get your family back, but you’re not. They’re gone Eponine and they’re not coming back!”

She swallowed hard, the breath leaving her body as she stood up. The gun clattered to the ground, landing at her feet as she stepped over it and moved closer to him, her hands shaking at her sides. “I’m going to find them and Ferre is going to cure them and I’m going to get my sister and my brother back. You don’t know anything! Enjolras has got this sorted. He knows what he’s doing! And if you don’t believe in any of this then maybe you should just go! You should go out there and try and fend for yourself again and see just how long you last and when this is all over and we find you, we’ll cure you anyway. You know why? Because these are good people in here and they’re smart and caring and kind, they’re heroes for what they’re doing and you don’t deserve to be here if you don’t believe in them.”

“It might have escaped your notice,” he replied coldly as he slowly stood up, clutching the bed for support as he faced her. “But I never asked for anyone to bring me here, I was doing just fine out there and your precious Enjolras isn’t exactly innocent.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She demanded, taking a step closer to him again. He rolled his eyes as he turned away from her silently. “Tell me!”

He smirked as he tilted his head to the side. “Maybe you should ask him yourself.”

She gritted her teeth as she stared at him, her hands balling into fists as her sides. It took all of her strength not to slap the smug look off of his face, but she was the bigger person. He didn’t know what he was talking about. She turned away, grabbing the gun off of the floor as she marched towards the door. She didn’t say anything to him as she left, storming down the corridor until she found Enjolras’ office and leaving the stranger alone in the hospital wing.

She stepped inside, taking both of the men by surprise as she gripped the gun tightly in her hand. Combeferre turned to face her, his expression instantly turning to one of worry as Enjolras rose to his feet, annoyance clearly etched on his face. “He’s awake,” she spat, calmly forcing the gun into her pocket.

“Did something happen?” Combeferre asked her gently, glancing towards Enjolras as he slowly sat back down and began gathering the papers on his desk into a pile.

“He’s just… really, _really_ annoying,” she managed, taking a calming breath as Combeferre forced a small smile for her. “He doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t believe in any of this- in any of _you_.”

“Well I hope you set him right,” Enjolras told her in a bored tone as he opened the drawer of his desk and began placing his papers in it without looking up.

“I did,” she replied, crossing her arms against her chest. “I told him if he didn’t believe in any of this then he doesn’t deserve to be here. He said we’re all just _‘sitting ducks’_ and by staying here we’re going to get bitten by one of them and that he’d be better off out there.”

Enjolras scowled slightly as he turned in his chair to face her. “He did?”

She nodded her head as she gritted her teeth again. “And he was all smug about it and I really, really wanted to slap him or shoot him or… or something! How can he just say that after being saved by you guys! How can he come in here and be so… so annoying! So self-righteous and smug and act as if he was doing perfectly fine out there when he obviously wasn’t?” She demanded.

Combeferre cleared his throat, trying to hide his smile as he stepped past her. “I should go tell Joly he’s awake. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Enjolras nodded his head as he looked towards his friend. “Thank you for looking over these. I’ll talk to you later. You know where I am if anything happens.”

“I will,” he smiled cheerfully as he stepped out of the door. “And thank you for keeping an eye on our patient, Eponine.”

She stood in silence as the door clicked shut, her eyes scanning the notice board for the picture she had seen the last time she had been in the office but it was missing. She frowned, slowly looking at Enjolras before realising that he was staring at her with a blank expression. “I think he knows you,” she stated, moving towards the board on the wall.

He stood up quickly, blocking her path before he frowned. “What do you mean?”

She stopped, leaving a little room between them before shrugging her shoulders. “I mentioned your name,” she told him. “And he said you weren’t so innocent. What did he mean?”

Enjolras hesitated, a scowl crossing his face again before he shook his head. “It’s nothing, it doesn’t matter,” he told her coldly. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“So he knows you?” She asked him again.

The blonde hesitated before shaking his head slowly. “I’ve never met him before in my life, or his family. I don’t know him and it doesn’t matter what it means. He has no idea what he is talking about, just like everything he said.”

“So… he was lying?” She asked him slowly, frowning in confusion. “If you don’t know him, then he doesn’t know you. So when he said you weren’t innocent, he was lying?”

“No,” Enjolras sighed as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “He just doesn’t know what he’s talking about and I’d appreciate it if you dropped the subject, Eponine.”

She opened her mouth, ready to ask him more questions before she decided better. She sighed, nodding her head as she stepped towards the door. “I’ll leave you to it then, I guess. You looked busy. I shouldn’t have just barged in here. Sorry.”

Enjolras sank into his seat, remaining silent for a few moments before he finally opened his eyes. “Wait, Eponine,” he called as she reached for the door handle. When she turned back to face him he was staring up at her again with an unreadable expression. When he was sure he had her attention, he looked back down at the few remaining papers on his desk. “I need you to take the watch with me tonight. Ferre was meant to be with me but Joly needs his help. Meet me here at ten. Don’t be late.”

She frowned as she slowly nodded her head. “Right. Okay…. I’ll meet you then,” she replied before quickly stepping out of the office and pulling the door shut behind her.

* * *

 

Eponine had spent the remainder of the day sat in the dining room, still seething from her meeting with the man in the hospital wing. Feuilly and Bahorel had try to question her on the man, and her mood but she had given nothing away, not even when Jehan had joined them and instantly picked up on her bad mood.

She’d joined them at one of the tables as she ate in silence, ignoring their conversation as they discussed some trivial gossip that the men had picked up on and eventually they had left. Bahorel and Feuilly went off to watch over the gate and Jehan had excused himself to go off to the weapons room, leaving her alone at the table as she watched the various occupants of the room.

The tension began to leave her shoulders and her earlier conversation with Grantaire was pushed to the back of her mind until finally it was nine forty and with nothing else to do, she had made her way to Enjolras’ office.

She walked in silence, her hands pushed deep into the pockets of her jacket as she walked as slowly as possible, dragging her feet. She knew it would only take a matter of minutes to reach the small room down the corridor, but she didn’t want to give Enjolras any more reasons to be annoyed at her and being early was better than being late. She had a knack for being late and it was very rare that she was on time, no matter how early she left but not today. This time she was going to be early and Enjolras wouldn’t have any reason to be annoyed at her.

She reached the office ten minutes early and chewed her lip as she glanced in through the window. Enjolras was still sat at the desk with a book clutched in his hands as he read. She debated knocking and letting him know that she was there but it was the first time since she had arrived there that she’d seen him look truly relaxed and she didn’t want to ruin that. She studied him for a few minutes, the way his lips were set in a firm line and the way his blonde curls fell to his shoulders. His posture was set straight, as if he’d had someone his entire life telling him how to sit and how to stand… She wondered if he once had money, maybe his family was rich… Maybe they still were or maybe he’d grown up here and that’s how they had all ended up here… And for the first time, she realised she knew almost nothing about this man.

She quickly stepped back as he lifted his head from the book and leaned against the wall, staring at the red fire extinguisher that was fixed to the wall opposite her as she hummed quietly to herself. The time dragged on as she waited, she tried to count the seconds in her head but after a couple of minutes she’d lost track of time.

Eventually the door creaked open and Enjolras stepped out with a scowl on his face before he paused, looking at her before he raised his eyebrow. “How long have you been stood out here?”

She smirked as she pushed herself off of the wall. “You thought I was going to be late,” she accused correctly, sticking her hands back in her pockets. “I’ve been here for a few minutes.”

“You know you could have let me know,” he sighed as he shut the door and began to head down the corridor without waiting for her. “We could have gone early or… I guess you could have sat down with me.”

She hurried after him, catching up with him quickly before falling in step with him, making their way down the dimly lit corridor. “You would have let me sit down in your office?” She asked in surprise. “I thought you hated me.”

“I don’t _hate_ you,” he sighed again, holding his hands behind his back as he glanced at her. “You just… annoy me.”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Thanks. You’re not exactly easy to get along with either.”

“I’ve never claimed I am,” he frowned as he opened the door and held it open for her.

The blast of cold air made her shiver as she clutched her jacket tightly around herself, keeping her head low as she stepped out into the misty rain. Enjolras walked faster down the path, not saying anything in the silence as he headed for the watch tower.

He yanked the stiff door open, holding it open for her again as she hurried after him, her short legs unable to keep up with his long ones. She stepped inside quickly, shaking the rain from her hair as he closed the door. She stepped to the side, allowing him to go first up the stairs before following him.

Bahorel glanced up from the pyramid he was making from the pack of cards long enough for Feuilly to lean in and blow on them, sending the cards scattering across the control panel in front of them. Bahorels eyes narrowed as he turned away from the new comers without a word before his glare set on the man beside him. “What the hell?” He demanded, standing from his seat. “That took me all night!”

“I know,” Feuilly laughed as he leaned back in his seat. “But it was just so tempting.”

“You better not have lost any cards!” He barked in reply. “This is the twelfth pack of cards we’ve had! Pick them all up!”

Feuilly groaned as he glanced at the cards on the floor. “Do I have to?” He whined.

“You blew them, you pick them up!” Bahorel replied coldly as he turned around to face Enjolras and Eponine. “I thought it was you and-“

“He was busy,” Enjolras cut him off quickly before glancing down at Feuilly who had dropped to his knees on the floor. “Any activity?”

“Nothing,” Bahorel sighed. “It’s been dead out there all night. You’re in for a long night.”

Enjolras shrugged, pulling a few rolled up pieces of paper out of his pocket. “I have work to do anyway.”

“And what about you?” Bahorel smirked as he looked towards Eponine. “Have you got _anything_ to do?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She asked, raising her eyebrow at him as he wiggled his own in return.

“Oh, nothing. I just thought you might have to get creative to pass the time up here. It gets pretty cold at night…”

Enjolras rolled his eyes as he took his place at the panel, sitting in one of the seats as he began setting out the papers in front of him. “You can go now,” he told the two men simply.

Feuilly grabbed the last card off of the floor before sweeping the cards off of the control panel into his hands and shoved them into his pockets. Bahorel smirked at Eponine as he left the room before the other man moved to follow him. He paused beside Eponine, leaning in closer to her. “Have fun,” he whispered with a grin before darting down the stairs and following Bahorel outside.

Eponine glanced around before slowly making her way over to the empty chair near to Enjolras’. She sat down, chewing her lip as she stared out of the window. “Is Grantaire still in the hospital wing?”

Enjolras frowned slightly as he pulled a pen out of his pocket and nodded his head. “Combeferre convinced him to stay for a few nights until he’s feeling better. I don’t see why…”

She sighed as she leaned back in the chair, putting her feet up on the control panel. Enjolras scowled as he glanced across at her legs before turning his attention quickly back to the papers. “I doubt anything interesting is going to happen tonight. Combeferre has a book in one of the drawers if you get bored,” he told her quietly. “If you do see something out there, let me know. We log it down to see if there’s any kind of pattern to their movements.”

She nodded her head slowly as she glanced out of the window. “Right… I’ll let you know…”

She sighed as she leaned back in her chair, settling in for the night as she stared out of the window. She stared up at the sky, smiling contently to herself as she stared up at the stars. It’d been a long time since she’d seen them. She hadn’t seen the stars since before she had arrived here, the first time she’d been in the watch tower it had been too cloudy, and when she was running she didn’t have time to pay attention to the sky… She used to love sitting under the stars with her sister, pointing out the ones that made out patterns in the sky… Lions and crossbows… They had stories behind them, but they didn’t know them so they made up their own… Telling them to each other as they laid in the long grass of the meadow near their house.

Enjolras looked up from the papers set in front of him, watching silently as she stared out the window with a small smile. The glow of the moon and the few lights from the panel lit up her face, casting her hair into dark shadows around her pale face. He watched for a few moments before he managed to pull his eyes away from her and back to the papers. “If you get cold there’s blankets with Ferres book,” he told her quietly.

She glanced at him through the corner of her eye before nodding her head. “Right,” she told him, forcing a smile for him as she glanced over her shoulder. “But I’m fine for now, thanks.”

He nodded silently as he looked down at the papers again, reading over the writing in front of his eyes but no matter how many times he read it, he simply couldn’t remember what it said. He sighed impatiently, shaking his head as he tried again before placing the pen down and pushing his chair away. “This is no good,” he scowled as he stood up.

She looked up at him surprise, turning in her chair to look up at him. “What isn’t?” She frowned.

“Nothing,” he told her as he paced the room, staring out of the window. “I just can’t work in here.”

“You could go back in side, I’m sure I’ll be fine on my own… or you could send someone else in. I’m sure Jehan wouldn’t mind…”

“No!” He replied quickly before his step faulted. He stopped on the spot before shaking his head. “No, it’s fine. I can do it tomorrow…”

She frowned slightly before turning her chair back to face the window. “Right. It’s nothing too important then?”

He hesitated before shaking his head. “No, I was just proof reading something. Its fine,” he sighed as he sat back down in his seat.

Eponine smiled faintly as she once again stared up at the stars. She hummed to herself quietly, scanning over them with her eyes before she settled on a set of stars straight in front of her. “They look like a smiley face.”

He frowned slightly as he glanced at her. “What does? Is there something down there?”

She laughed as she shook her head. “No, the stars. They look like a smiley face. Those bright ones there, those are the eyes and there’s a curvy shape that looks like the smile.”

He tilted his head to the side before he saw it and smiled faintly. “The curvy shape, that’s called the Corona Borealis, or the northern crown.”

She frowned slightly. “It doesn’t look like a crown. If it looked like a crown it would have pointy bits.”

He grinned as he sat up straighter. “It represents the crown that Princess Ariadne wore at her wedding. After she helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur and escape the labyrinth, she sailed with him. He was meant to be a hero but he left her on the island of Naxos. Dionysus saw her crying and they fell in love, eventually they got married. At the wedding she wore the crown and threw it into the sky afterwards. They said the jewels on the crown turned into stars and now they make up the constellation.”

She listened to him silently, her eyes glued to the stars in front of her. Once he finished, she remained silent, watching them shine in awe. “That’s a pretty story,” she breathed.

Enjolras smiled as he nodded in agreement. “It was always my favourite,” he told her before glancing around the sky for another constellation. “This one over here, this is Corvus, it’s known as the Raven.”

She frowned as she looked around. “Where?”

“Over here,” he told her as he moved his chair to beside hers. He reached for her hand and lifted it up, making her point her finger as he carefully drew the square in the air before continuing one of the lines down. “Do you see it?”

She nodded her head slowly. “I think so…”

He smiled as he slowly let go of her hand. “The raven was the sacred bird of Apollo. He told the raven to watch over Coronis, his lover. She was pregnant but after a while she lost interest in him and fell in love with a human man. The raven flew back to Apollo and told him of the affair, the God became angry that the raven didn’t stop the affair. He cursed it, scorching the feathers of the raven black-“

“But ravens are already black…” She frowned as she interrupted him.

He shook his head. “In the story the raven had pure white feathers. He scorched them all so they turned pure black. There’s another story about the Raven. It goes that the raven was sent to fetch some water for Apollo, but he got distracted by a fig tree and stops to eat. When he finally arrived back to Apollo, the raven blamed the water snake for him being late, but the God was so angry that he cast the raven, the water snake and the cup up into the sky. Apollo cast a curse on the bird and turned its feathers black, and made the raven eternally thirsty.”

She frowned slightly as she looked at him. “Apollo doesn’t sound very nice in either of those stories.”

“No, he doesn’t,” he smiled faintly. “Do you know much about mythology?”

She slowly shook her head. “No. I always thought it sounded kind of boring but I like what you’ve told me so far.”

“I have some books in my office, you can borrow them if you’d like,” he offered.

“I’m a slow reader,” she admitted, chewing her lip. “I think they’d take me a while to read.”

He forced a small smile. “It’s not like we’ll be going anywhere soon,” he told her quietly as he glanced back out of the window. “I’ll get them for you when we go back inside.”

They spent the next few hours pointing at various constellations whilst Enjolras explained the stories behind them. Occasionally she would interrupt him to tell him the stories that she made up with her sister for some of the more obvious ones, and he’d smile and nod along, humouring her.

Eventually it began to grow cooler in the small watch tower and Enjolras reached for the blankets, handing her one before taking his own and draping it over his lap and as the night continued, so did his stories for each of the stars until eventually her eyes began to droop and her head moved to the side until it found his shoulder to use as a pillow.

He froze as he glanced down at her, chewing his lip as he debated moving her before deciding against it. Allowing her to stay where she was, comfortable in her sleep, he turned his attention back to the window and stared back up at the stars as he listened to her gentle breathing beside of him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Combeferre remembers why he's doing this.

Eponine made her way down the corridor, her hands shoved deep into her pockets when she spotted both Combeferre and Joly walking further ahead of her, dressed in white lab coats. She frowned slightly before she slowly began to follow them, falling back a few steps as she tried to work out what they were doing.

She stopped as they turned the corner and made their way down the next stretch of corridor before her eyes widened. They were going into the room where they had tied the two tied to the bed. She waited until they stepped inside before she cautiously made her way towards the doors.

She peered through the windows as she watched them. Joly had moved off to one side, picking up a chart that was placed on one of the work tops as he carefully began writing. Meanwhile, Combeferre had approached the first bed, a needle clutching tightly in his hand. She could see the whites of his knuckles from where she stood as he tried to keep his hand from shaking.

The woman snapped her teeth up at him, her body thrashing against the bed as she tried to work her hands free. The noise that she was making caused the man on the bed beside her to also start moving and Joly looked up from over the chart before looking back down and making more notes.

Carefully, Combeferre gripped the womans leg, holding it still as he pushed the needle into her skin and slowly began injecting the clear liquid into her body. The woman screamed as she stared down at him, her black eyes boaring into the top of his head.

Combeferre stepped back, placing the needle down on the tray beside the bed as he watched. The thrashing continued for a few minutes as the woman screamed loudly, her wails causing the other to join in two. Eponine frowned as she watched, chewing her lip as she glanced at Combeferre and then Joly.

Neither of the men moved as the two tied to the beds continued to make the noise. A chill ran down Eponines spine as she stepped back, forcing herself not to cover her ears when suddenly, the noise stopped. Both Doctors stepped towards the bed as the man on the other bed looked towards the girl silently, straining against the rope as he tried to reach her.

Combeferre hesitantly touched the girls arm, shaking it gently before glancing at Joly with a small frown. The bespectacled man sighed as he slowly moved to the head of the bed and opened her eyes, shining a small torch from his pocket into each of them.

Joly shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose before carefully stepping around the other bed, avoiding the hand that reached out to grab at his lab coat, before he took hold of the girls wrist and checked for a pulse. Finally, he glanced up at Combeferre and shook his head as the other man stepped to the side and draped a sheet over the girl whilst Joly moved back to the other side of the room and began making more notes.

The man on the bed began to scream again as his body lurched, shaking the bed as he stared at the sheet draped over the other bed. His wrists yanked against the ropes violently, turning his skin red as he threw his head from side to side.

Solemnly, Combeferre picked up the needle from the tray and slowly moved towards the bed. Like he did with the other, he placed one hand on the man’s leg as he pushed the needle into his skin. Again, the man screamed, his body arching up off the bed as he tried to kick out at the Doctor that was injecting him but the ropes kept him in place, forcing him to remain on the bed.

Eponine stepped forward, her brow furrowing as she watched the man. Just like the woman, his scream cut off suddenly and his body fell still but not before his reached his hand towards the bed beside him, his eyes locking on the sheet as his entire body remained rigid.

She quickly turned away, heading down the corridor as fast as her feet would carry her. She forced her way past two women that were heading towards her as she made herself to move faster. _Just keep running, don’t look back_ and she didn’t. She didn’t stop as she threw open a pair of doors that banged loudly as they hit the wall, she didn’t look back as Enjolras shouted after her from her office as she breezed past, and she kept her eyes forward as she burst out into the fresh air, throwing herself across the grass and around the building as her lungs burned and a stitch formed in the side of her body.

As she finally slowed down, allowing herself to stumble into a steady walk, she realised for the first time that tears were blurring her version but she no longer cared. She leaned back against the rough stone of the building before sliding down onto the grass, pulling her knees up against her chest as she let out a small sob. She shook her head, burying her face in her legs as her body shook against the building.

She ignored the voices calling out her name, no matter how desperate they sounded the longer they called, she didn’t want to talk to them right now. Maybe Grantaire had been right, maybe she was going to die sitting in here. It was no use, none of this was any use. No matter what happened, she was still going to die, whether it was in here or out that.

She didn’t hear the gentle footsteps as she continued to let out small sobs, her eyes firmly closed. She didn’t notice as a body slumped down beside hers, or as an arm found it’s way around her shoulders as someone tried to comfort her. The first thing she noticed was a soft voice calling her name beside her ear, making her jump.

She opened her eyes quickly as she turned her head to the side, staring into the brown eyes of the Doctor. More tears stung her vision as she pulled away from him, pulling herself up on the wall as she began to walk away.

She ignored his soft footsteps following her as she moved around to the back of the building and continued across the grass and heading towards the fence. She wasn’t sure where exactly she was trying to go but she wanted to get as far away from the building as she could. She headed towards a gate in the fence that surrounded the building, not bothering to answer Combeferre as he called after her.

She grabbed hold of the gate and shook it, scowling in annoyance as she realised it was chained shut and padlocked. On the other side ran a river and behind that was a meadow, surrounded by forest. She would have done anything to get to the other side of that river but she was trapped. Stuck in the stupid building waiting to die.

She kicked the gate, letting out an annoyed huff as Combeferre placed his hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off before turning to face him, her eyes red from her tears as he looked back at her calmly. “You killed them,” she whispered.

He frowned slightly as he took a step back, sticking his hands in his pockets as he stared down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at her. “It was essential,” he replied quietly. “To test the cure…”

“But _you killed them_ ,” she repeated, shaking her head slowly. “I didn’t think you were capable of that.”

“It’s not a question of whether I am capable of… that. It’s a question of whether we want to find a cure or not. We have to run trials, we have to test every batch until we get the formula correct so that we can help others… Their deaths will not be meaningless…”

“Did they know each other?” she asked him. “Those two in the room… Were they found together?”

Combeferre let out a small sigh as he nodded his head. “We watched them for a while. They were always outside of here, always together… We never saw them apart. They just… wandered. Bahorel and Feuilly set up a trap to catch them. They were brought back here…”

“The man… he was upset when she died. I saw it. He screamed… He screamed for her. You made him watch her die,” she told him quietly. “They knew each other… He loved her and you killed her in front of him.”

Combeferre closed his eyes tightly. “We don’t know that they can still feel emotions,” he told her, his voice strained with every word.

“No,” she told him coldly as she stepped around him. “He loved her. What you’re doing to them… It isn’t fair.”

“We have to do this,” he told her. “If we don’t, we’re as good as dead… We’re doing this for those that we love.”

“No, you’re doing it for yourselves,” she spat at him. She stood silently, staring at the man as she waited for him to reply and tell her that she was wrong. To tell her that he was doing this for everyone else, waiting for him to justify what she saw but he didn’t say anything.

He had nothing to say and that wasn’t good enough. Her eyes stung as she felt more tears building, but she didn’t want him to see her cry. She wasn’t going to cry in front of him, because of him. She turned away from him and began walking, heading back towards the building and she expected him to follow her again and try to talk to her. She had exactly what she was going to say ready on the tip of her tongue. She was going to tell him what she thought of him, of Joly, of this entire place but she didn’t have to.

Combeferre remained alone outside as Eponine disappeared back inside the building.

* * *

 

He had stood outside for almost an hour, mulling over what she had said to him. She had been right, it was selfish and it was obvious that the man had felt something for that woman… He had never seen them apart. Maybe before all of this they were childhood sweethearts, maybe they had a family… Maybe this place meant something to them and that was why they were always here. They were tied to this building in some way...

He had killed both of them, like countless others before them. He’d taken what remained of their lives away from them and they probably had loved ones somewhere, hiding away like they were, waiting to find them once this was all over and they wouldn’t find anything. They would never find them.

What did all of this make him? He thought of himself as a Doctor, just doing his job to help other people that was not what he was anymore. He’d taken their lives, made one of them watch as the other died. He was their tormenter, a torturer, _a killer_.

 

Finally, when it had slowly began to turn dark and the sky turned from a gentle blue to a vivid red, slowly turning to inky black, he had made his way back towards the building. He walked in silence, not pausing to greet anyone that he passed like he normally would.

He didn’t stop to check in on Joly in the hospital, to ask how things were going. He didn’t stop to grab something to eat before all the food was gone, or to catch up with his friends. Instead, he kept walking. Walking further and further… until he reached Enjolras’ office.

He stepped inside, opening one of the desk drawers to pick out his journal before sinking into one of the chair. He closed his eyes as he placed it on his lap, a small shaky breath escaping his lips. In the silence of the room his thoughts raced, she was right. She was so right… Why couldn’t he see it before?

He stood up, shaking his head quickly. No, he had to do this. They had to save the human race, they couldn’t sit by and watch as it crumbled around them. The answers were right there, they would find the cure, it was just a matter of time and he would make sure when this was all over, that all of those that had died for the cure wouldn’t be forgotten.

He’d find their families, he’d tell them what he had done. He would apologise to their loved ones, he would explain what he had done to them, how it helped them and he would take them to where they had been buried so that they could say their final goodbyes. That was all he could do.

Gripping his journal hard, he marched out of the office and headed back down the corridor, making his way into the hospital wing as he stared at the man they had found only a week ago. Grantaire looked up, raising his eyebrow at the man that had entered. “I need you to do something for me,” Combeferre stated.

Grantaire scoffed as he turned away from him, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “No offence, but I don’t really want to do anything for you lot. If anything, I think it’s time for me to be going. I think I’ve outstayed my welcome.”

“I know you can draw,” the Doctor told him as he opened his journal and flicked to a blank page before holding it out towards him. “I just need you to do something for me.”

“Look, I know you lot brought me here but I don’t owe you anything. I never asked you to do this,” he sighed as he stood up and grabbed his folded jacket off of the side. “So, like I said…”

“Damn it,” Combeferre snapped as he slammed the journal down on the side and crossed the room towards the man. “Don’t you get it? If you go out there you won’t last more than a few days! If you go out there, you’ll die. At least in here we have a chance. We’re doing everything we can to get through this and then you turn up and act all… all high and mighty!”

Grantaire raised his eyebrow, a small smirk playing on his lips. “And how long have you been in here, exactly?”

“I’ve been here since a few weeks after it started. You’re not the first person that has left here, and you probably won’t be the last but would you like to know something? No one ever comes back after they go out there. They don’t last longer than a week. They’re out there and they’re waiting for you and you can’t out run them.”

“That’s really nice to know,” Grantaire told him sarcastically as he stepped around the man and headed towards the door, brushing his dark curls out of his face. “I do have one question though… Who are you doing this for? Who is out there that you’re trying to save?”

_Combeferre had always been close to his parents, he followed them around as a child. He spent endless hours in the hospital that they worked, dressed in one of his Fathers white coats, his Mothers stethoscope draped around his shoulders. He stole the heart of every nurse as he raced around with his teddy, accepting chocolates from the little old women that sat in the waiting room and showing the other children that had stiffly noses and bloodied knees where the best toys were._

_His parents encouraged him in everything that he did. They supported him no matter what and even though they didn’t always agree completely with his views, they never told him that he was wrong. They engaged him in discussions, throwing ideas back and forth over the dinner table._

_They adored his friends. They were proud that his son had found such a close knit group that they could trust to look after their son and to watch his back for him. His friends were not the average bunch of teenagers, they were smart and headstrong. They wore their beliefs on their sleeves and would defend them with their lives._

_So when Combeferre announced he was moving away to attend University, away from his home and his friends, at his first his parents were hesitant to allow him to go. They had never spent a long time away from their son, but at the same time, they were proud of him. His exam results had been amazing and he had got in at the University of his dreams to study medicine._

_His first day of University arrived quicker than any of them had ever thought it would. They arrived after a six hour drive, they unpacked his suitcases and dragged them inside the dorm and after an hour, they said their goodbyes with hugs and tears._

_Combeferre wasn’t shy in nature, but he was thrown in at the deep end. So far he hadn’t met any of his house mates. He spent his afternoon with his nose stuck deep in a book, his bedroom door propped open in case anyone decided to pay him a visit._

_He was only made aware of his first visitor when he heard muffled footsteps, followed by someone clearing their voice. He looked up quickly, almost dropping his book as he was greeted by two large brown eyes._

_He smiled faintly, his cheeks turning rosy as he sat up straighter on his bed. “I’m sorry, I thought I was alone…”_

_“I’ve been here since last night,” the girl told him, worrying her lip between her teeth. “May I come in?”_

_He nodded his head as he quickly jumped to his feet and offered her a seat on his bed. “I’m Combeferre,” he told her._

_“Emilie,” she smiled softly as she offered him her hand and he quickly shook it._

 

His eyes snapped open as he pushed the memory from his mind, hurriedly shaking his head. “What’s important is that we cure this as quickly as we can to stop anyone else being infected.”

“And what, you want me to be your new test subject?” Grantaire asked as he raised his eyebrow. “Is that it?”

He shook his head with a small frown as he went back to retrieve his journal from the side and held it back out to him again. “I need you to just… to draw something for me. That’s all I ask.”

Grantaire let out a small sigh as he took the journal reluctantly and nodded his head before following the Doctor out of the room.

* * *

 

For the next few days Eponine had done everything she could to avoid as many people as possible. She guessed that Combeferre or Joly had spoken to Enjolras about what had happened. Every time she passed his office, he looked up at her and stared at her, his lips pressed into a firm line but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about any of this anymore. She had to get out of here and she had to find her siblings.

It was early one morning when she found Courfeyrac and Feuilly talking quietly off to one corner. They were going on a raid later that day but they were one down. Bahorel had picked up some kind of bug and Joly had insisted on isolating him in the hospital ward so that everyone else didn’t get sick. Jehan was joining them like usual, but that still meant they were one short and Enjolras was refusing to come with them this time.

When Eponine had offered to go with them, at first that had hesitated, glancing at one another before they finally agreed with a sigh but ordered her to follow rules. Of course she had accepted and Courfeyrac had gone off to find Bahorels rucksack for her to fill whilst they were out there along with a canteen filled with water for the long day.

She had waited until she was alone before she had taken the bag into the dining room and grabbed the few possessions that she owned, tucked away under the pillow and placed in the bottom of the rucksack. She ignored the guilt that was gnawing away at her as she swung it over her shoulder and stood up, making her way to the entrance to wait for the others.

Courfeyrac led them down the path, looking up towards the tower as he waved at someone to open the gates. After a few moments the gates groaned as they began to open and Courfeyrac quickly slipped through the opening, followed by Feuilly and then Eponine with Jehan making up the rear.

Eponine glanced around warily as she followed the other, Feuilly and Courfeyrac talked in low voices as they casually made their way through the forest whilst Jehan stayed firmly at her side as she cautiously looked around. “Don’t worry,” he told her quietly as he reached out and squeezed her hand in his own. “We’ve never been ambushed by them before. Sometimes one or two of them will get a bit curious and come near us, but loud noises seem to scare them off. Combeferre thinks they have some kind of increased sensitive hearing going on or something…”

She nodded her head as she yanked her hand out of his and shoved it into her pocket, ignoring the frown that he shot in her direction. “Right…” She breathed as a branch cracked off to the right of them. Birds flew up into the sky, screeching as they disappeared into the clouds.

Jehan gripped his gun tighter as his eyes searched the trees but the other two didn’t hesitate to look as they carried on. Down the road the first of the houses came into view and Eponine remembered the first time they had led her down here, taking her to the compound after saving her.

She let out a shaky sigh as she stared down at the ground, the backpack thudding against her back as she glanced around. Jehan chewed his lip as he turned his attention back to her. “Why do I get the feeling you’re thinking about doing something stupid?” He asked her.

“I don’t know,” she told him quietly as she lifted her head, forcing herself to smile at him but it felt strained against her lips and she was sure it probably looked that way as well.

Jehan sighed as he glanced at Feuilly and Courfeyrac before looking back at her again. “I know what you saw…” He told her quietly. “But Combeferre and Joly are good people… They only do what they have to do and… and I know it kills them to have to do that. They hate it when they… when one of them… doesn’t survive the drugs…”

“You don’t know anything about me,” she told him quietly. “It doesn’t matter what I saw and it doesn’t matter why they do it. I just… It doesn’t matter.”

Courfeyrac smiled brightly as he glanced over his shoulder at the other two, pulling the rucksack off of his shoulders. “The supermarket is almost empty, so we’re going to go and look in some houses. We’re going to get as much food as we can and don’t forget any drinks as well. There might be survivors like Grantaire, so we need to keep our eyes open. We’re going to stick together, just in case.”

Feuilly scoffed. “You know is Bahorel was here we’d all be on our own, right? We’d cover more ground that way.”

“Well Bahorel isn’t here and I swear we have to save him every time he wanders off anyway,” Courfeyrac frowned, rolling his eyes. “Do we all have our walkie talkies just in case?”

Jehan nodded his head as he pulled his out of his pocket before glancing at Eponine. “You brought yours, right?”

She nodded her head as well as she patted the device in her pocket. “It’s right here,” she told them as Courfeyrac nodded his head before glancing at Feuilly who showed him his own.

“Right,” Courfeyrac replied, glancing at the houses around them. “Are you ready for this?”

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Jehan replied cheerfully as he looked at Eponine. “Don’t do anything stupid…”

“I’m not going to do anything _stupid_ ,” she replied under her breath as she followed the men towards the first of the houses.

 

After an hour of going from house to house, they had managed to share out the little food they had found between each of the rucksacks, barely even filling them to a quarter of the way full. Courfeyrac was growing more and more frustrated, whilst Feuilly tried to keep their moods up. Meanwhile, Jehan remained silent as they moved, searching for any sign that they were not alone but the town was eerily silent and it reminded Eponine of one of those scenes out of a horror film which only served to reminded her she _was_ in a horror film and put herself even more on edge.

She was waiting for the perfect moment. She had to try and get away whilst they were all busy but so far, she hadn’t had chance to sneak away from them. She sighed as she made her way through another house, setting her rucksack out on the table alongside the others as they began packing the food into them. Once done, they carefully made their way through the house, Feuilly leading them whilst Eponine clutched her gun tightly in her hand and Courfeyrac followed at the back, constantly making sure that they weren’t being followed. Once they were certain that the house was empty, they made their way back outside and into the next house… and then into the next and the one after that…

They were in their fifteenth house when they were made aware that they were no longer alone. Jehan had called to them as they filled their bags again and the quickly made their way outside to see what was wrong when they found themselves staring at two women on the other side of the street.

Slowly, the men raised their guns and Eponine quickly followed them as she watched curiously. Sores covered the bodies of the women, their hair mattered and their skin dirty. It was as if they hadn’t even noticed the others stood holding their guns as they remained stood on the same spot, staring off down the street and making the occasional grunt.

Eponine chewed her lip as her hand trembled, glancing at the men beside her. Courfeyrac frowned as he leaned over to Eponine, bringing his lips close to her ear. “Head back down the street, don’t make a noise. We don’t want the walkers to follow us,” he whispered before nodding his head at the other two. “And don’t run.”

She swallowed hard as she slowly began to walk, her eyes fixed on the two women as she moved. Behind her the three men followed, their guns pointed at them as they followed Eponine. Her heart pounded against her chest, her breath coming out in ragged pants as she tried to stay calm.

She was barely even a few feet away from them and Courfeyrac was telling her not to run, even though her brain was screaming at her to do the exact opposite thing. She didn’t even realise she was starting to move faster until Courfeyrac placed his hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump.

She turned around, pointing her gun straight at him as she stumbled away from him in surprise. The sudden movement caught the attention of the two walkers and their slowly turned to look in their direction before they were heading towards them.

“Shit,” Courfeyrac breathed, glancing at the two women that were quickly moving closer to them. He grabbed hold of Eponines arm and shoved her forward as he tried to make her move. “Run,” he ordered. “Get back to the compound.”

That was all she needed to be told before she began to run. Her heart was beating faster than before, her ears ringing as she headed back down the road. She moved past the last of the houses, heading further down the road and through the trees. Behind her she could hear the other three on her heals and she didn’t pause to look back and see if they were still being followed.

Down the road she could just make out the compound from between the trees, it wasn’t far away and they could easily make it…but off to the left was a road that followed the edge of the forest… She only had a matter of moments to decide what she was going to do… Her feet pounded against the road as she forced herself to keep running, growing closer and closer to the road…

She took a deep breath, glancing over her shoulder as she made out Courfeyracs brown hair bobbing behind her before she threw herself towards the road, using the last of her energy to break away from the group.

“Eponine!” Courfeyrac yelled as she ran down the road, his voice frantic as he called after her. She could vaguely make out Feuilly yelling as well before three gun shots were fired.

Her heart continued to pound as her footsteps began to slow. She looked over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Jehans pained expression as he passed the end of the road. She forced herself to keep moving, looking back over her shoulder every few steps to make sure she wasn’t being followed as she kept the gun held tightly in her hand.

This was it now, she was all on her own and she had to look after herself. Her gun was fully loaded and she had another round of bullets in her bag but after that, she had no weapon. She chewed her lip as she walked, glancing into the trees beside her for any sign of life.

She had no idea where this road was taking her, or where she was going to end up but she knew that somehow she had to make it back to her old flat. She knew if Azelma and Gavroche were still out there somewhere that that was where they would go.

Right now it didn’t matter whether there was a cure or whether she would end up like them, but she had to find her siblings and be with them. They were here family and she needed to be with them, even if it meant giving up her own life.

* * *

 

The compound gates opened as the three men threw themselves forward. Enjolras quickly made his way out of the watch tower, staring at them frantically before his eyes widened. “We saw movement. Where’s Eponine?” He demanded.

“She’s gone,” Jehan replied quietly.


	8. Chapter 8

* * *

For four days she walked and for four days the rain poured down on her. A thick fog had settled over the land and she could barely make out her hand in front of her face let alone what was waiting for her meters away, hidden beneath the shroud of white. Every time she heard a noise - a crunch, a snap, a bird - she turned and headed away from the noise, following her instincts as she made her way through the fields until she was well and truly lost. Her clothes stuck to her skin, drenched from the constant fall of rain that chilled her.

 By the second day she had a cough, the third a cold and the fourth a fever but she kept going, forcing herself to keep moving. Even when her feet sank into the grass, when she tripped over a fallen fence and the barbed wire that once ran along the top of it cut shreds into the skin of her legs and when her head hurt so much that she was sure she was going to die here. The fever had taken a complete hold of her body, forcing its way into her very core. She was red hot but freezing at the same time, and sometimes it was the other way around. Her feet were heavy but her head felt like it was floating ten yards above her but still, she kept walking and turning away from every noise and every movement she caught at the edge of her vision.

She hadn't seen the road since the first night but she still had hope that she'd find it again and from there she'd follow it north and back to the centre of Paris where she'd find her siblings.

 Eventually she began to grow tired and her legs refused to carry her any further. She sat down on the grass, looking up at the faint ball of light that was hidden away high up in the sky, unable to penetrate the thick fog. She pulled open her bag, her hands groping its contents until she found the canteen inside. She opened it and pressed it to her lips as she tipped it back. A few drops of water slowly ran into her mouth but that was all. She pulled it away frustrated, wiping at the beads of sweat that stuck to her clammy skin. She had to find water, she hadn't had a drink since sometime the day before when she almost emptied the contents of the bottle.

She closed her eyes as she laid back against the damp grass, spreading her arms out at her sides as she let it cool her for a few moments. It was hard to think when she was so tired, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes but she knew if she slept here, she would likely die. If she wanted to sleep, she had to climb one of the trees and get off the ground. There was no one around to watch out for any of the Walkers if she was asleep.

Walkers, it was a funny name to call them… It had been a nickname given to them in the height of the walking dead series. It had all happened so quickly, a freak virus that had gotten out of control and it began to change people… The government didn’t want to call them zombies, it sounded too tacky, too real… The news channels started dubbing them walkers, like of the television show. It made it sound much better than it really was.

She still remembered the first time she learned about all of this. Maybe if she had done something differently, none of this would have happened. She wouldn’t have been here, she would be with her siblings somewhere safe and away from all of this… She wouldn’t have left them there.

She sat up as she coughed violently, struggling to breath as she spluttered. Her hands balled into fists as every cough forced pain to radiate through her chest, tugging at her from the inside. She closed her eyes tightly as she gasped for breath, her throat raw as she sat there.

After a few minutes had passed, and she was certain that she wasn’t going to cough again, she opened her eyes and pulled herself up onto her knees. It was no use just sitting there, she had to keep moving.

She grabbed her bag, pulling it onto her back as she forced her legs to keep moving. She just had to find a tree in this sea of fog, one that she could climb and be far off the ground and out of reach. Then she could rest, she could sleep as much as she needed to. Enough to break this damn fever and then she could keep going. She knew she wasn’t that far from Paris, she just had to find the way.

After an hour of walking, and gaining very little ground, trees began to poke through the thinning mist. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the fine rain that was falling again and soaking her clothes with even more water, as she looked between the trees.

Fir trees lined the edge of the field, forming a small forest behind the wall. The branches were too thick and scratchy, there was no way that she could climb them and there was nowhere that she could sleep in them. Maybe further into the forest she’d find somewhere, but it was slowly starting to grow dark and if she went into the forest, she wouldn’t be able to see if she was alone. It would be too easy for one of them to attack her. She wouldn’t stand a chance.

She hesitated as she glanced back over her should, looking for anything that resembled a tree behind her but there was nothing. Just a vast space of nothingness. Just fields and walls, and then more fields…

She sighed as climbed over the wall, standing at the edge of the forest. She stepped between the first few trees and began walking, following the edge of the forest where there was only a little cover. Enough that she was out of sight, but not too much so that there wasn’t any light.

* * *

 

Enjolras had barely slept for the past few days, despite his friends worries. Joly had tried to give him sleeping pills from their remaining supply which was slowly dwindling out. Combeferre had tried to talk him into staying in his room until he had adequate rest, and Jehan had tried to suggest a bit of ‘shooting therapy’ to help him relax but despite their exhausted efforts, he had barely moved an inch from the watch tower.

His eyes had been glued to the outside world, scanning back and forth as he looked for any sign of her. Eponine was out there somewhere, alone in the rain and most likely surrounded. She was going to get herself bitten out there but there hadn’t been a single sighting since she had ran.

They had watched from the watch tower as she disappeared out of sight down the road, hidden behind the mass of trees that separated them from the next town over. No one had any idea why she had done it. She knew the way back and they’d called for her, just in case she had gone the wrong way by mistake. Once they had arrived back at the compound they had tried the radio day and night, but she was too far out of range for them to call her on it.

There was a knock at the door and Enjolras quickly stood up, running his fingers through his hair as he took one last look out of the window before forcing himself to move. Bahorel greeted him on the other side with a forced smile and quickly darted his eyes to the window as well before returning his attention back to the blonde.

“We need the nets,” he told him as he quickly stepped around Enjolras and made his way over to a cupboard at the other side of the room. Carefully, he began pulling out the lengths of thick netting and laid them out on the floor. “The Docs need some more test subjects. Courfeyrac caught some movement on the far side, by the river. They’re alone. We think just one of them, going to go check it out.”

“Just be careful,” Enjolras sighed as he returned to his seat. “And keep an eye out… for any signs.”

Bahorel nodded his head as he leaned down, picking the nets up into his arms before pausing. “I don’t think she’s coming back,” he told him quietly. “She’s gone, Enjolras. If she made it this long out there, it’s a miracle and you know it. We have work to do, we can’t sit here hoping she’ll turn around and come running straight back to us… and if she does, she’ll lead all of them things straight to our doors.”

Enjolras pinched the bridge of his nose as he attempted to tune Bahorel out, shaking his head slowly. “So, we just leave her to die out there? We’re not giving up. There’s no where out there for her to go. She panicked, that’s all.”

“You heard what Jehan said,” he told him gently. “She’d been acting weird all morning. She knew exactly which way to go and instead she ran the other way. I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like someone who knew exactly what they were doing.”

“Damn it,” Enjolras spat as he stood up, turning to stare at Bahorel. “Just get out. Go do what you have to do and I’ll do what I have to do. I’m not giving up.”

“You can’t undo what’s already been done,” Bahorel told him quietly as he moved towards the door. “You’re not your parents, Enjolras. You have to let this go.”

“Why?” He snapped, stalking towards Bahorel. “Why the hell should I just let this go? Can you not see what is going on around us? Do you not understand what is going to happen to us?”

“You didn’t do this,” he sighed. “And you can’t save everyone. People die, people get changed. That’s what happens.”

Enjolras stared at the other man coldly, his lips set into a firm line. He stood stock still, apart from the slowly rise and fall of his chest with each breath. Finally, he spoke, his voice cold as he slowly turned away from the other man. “Get the hell out.”

* * *

 

Combeferre sighed as he stood beside the locked gate with Joly at his side as they stared across the river. For the past day there had been movement from across the water, hidden behind the trees but they all knew what it meant.

There was no way it could get in here, so no one had bothered about it but Joly had been out here most of the time, wrapped up under layers of jumpers as he stood in the cold rain. He had monitored the movement, waiting to see if it would move away from here or whether it was planning on staying for a while but after almost twenty four hours, it was still there and by the amount of movement, it seemed to suggest that it was alone.

Combeferre looked down at the clipboard, flicking through the sheets of paper that Joly had carefully wrote out his notes on before glancing back up towards the trees. “I just… I have this feeling that it was my fault,” he told the other doctor quietly. “After what she saw, maybe I should have tried harder to explain…”

Joly shook his head slowly. “I believe that she had a plan forming in her mind from the moment she arrived here. She never planned on staying for long. She doesn’t seem like the kind of person to stay in one place, whether there are Homo Necrosis Zombifis waiting outside or not.”

“She was upset and I made it worse and she had a point, what we’re doing… Maybe it’s wrong. These were human beings, like we are… They might have family and friends out there looking for them and we’re _killing_ them.”

“They’re already dead,” Joly told him quietly. “They’re just shells for the virus. These are not human beings anymore. We can’t think about them like that.”

“But look at them,” Combeferre frowned, gesturing to the movement coming from the other side of the fence. “Some of these we have observed to still hold some kind of connection to certain places. The last subjects, numbers twenty seven and twenty six… They never moved from here. They could have, they _should_ have. There are still animals out there for them to attack. If they can detect heat or smell, sound… whatever it is, they should have gone for the animals which they can get to… It suggests that some part of their brain is still working and fighting through the virus...”

“They are incapable or rational thought like we are,” Joly sighed, shaking his head. “They probably detected that there was food here and stayed, hoping to get in.”

“How to you explain what happened in here?” He demanded with a frown. “You saw what I saw. When subject number twenty seven died, the other subject was obviously distressed by the loss. It felt emotions.”

“Perhaps it was a mate,” Joly reasoned. “We know they cannot bread, the body can not change and develop to support a life forming inside of them but it does not mean they might not have mates. If there is still a sexual drive there… Essentially they are acting like animals…”

Combeferre sighed and shook his head. “Perhaps what we are doing is inhumane.”

“We are doing it for the greater good,” Joly told him quietly. “We are doing this to save the human race. If we don’t do this, then the human race will be wiped out. Life as we know it will end.”

“Through out history that excuse has been used many times. Normally when people say they are doing it for the greater good, they say it because they know what they are doing is wrong but they need to justify it… Maybe this is just the next evolution of life. Maybe this is where we were heading and it just got sped up…”

Joly frowned as he turned to face Combeferre. “Are you giving up?”

“No… I just…” Combeferre sighed as he shook his head. “I think we need to rethink our treatment of the subjects, that’s all.”

“We’re so close,” Joly reminded him. “Don’t you understand? Any day now we could find the cure to all of this. We need to test every batch we make but we’re so close. I don’t like this just as much as you, but it has to be done. You know that…”

“I know,” he sighed. “But how do we know everyone will react the same? How do we know that this cure wont wear off after a few weeks… How do we know its side effects? There are so many risks that we are taking.”

“It’s a risk that we have to take. It’s all we can do. We cure as many as we can and we worry about the side effects later on. We can change and adapt the formula, but for now this is our main goal,” Joly told him gently. “We can’t just sit by and watch the human race become extinct around us.”

Combeferre nodded his head, forcing a small smile as he turned his attention back to the movement that they had been watching. It didn’t take long before Bahorel joined them, along with Feuilly, Courfeyrac and Jehan.

“We need to set up the net and then lure it in,” Feuilly announced. “Once it’s in the right spot, we drop the net on it.”

Jehan frowned slightly as he glanced through the fence. “If it gets too close you need to get back in here. We don’t want it getting away if the net isn’t right.”

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to get ourselves bitten,” Bahorel laughed as he watched Courfeyrac fish a key out of his pocket and hand it to Combeferre.

The doctor sighed as he glanced at Joly before taking hold of the padlock and unlocking it. Silently, he began untangling the chain that held the gate closed, gathering it around his arm carefully before opening the gate for them.

Courfeyrac gave Jehan a reassuring smile before stepping through the gate, holding his gun tightly as he glanced around. Bahorel and Feuilly were close behind them, whilst Jehan lingered at the gate with his gun trained on the area that the movement was coming from behind the trees.

In silence the three men set to work. Feuilly carefully climbed up into the tree and began fastening the corner of the net to one of the branches whilst the others held it up for him before he silently moved back down and onto the next tree, and then the next.

They had three of the corners set up and the rope for the puley system draped over the other side of the fence as they worked. Joly stood close beside Combeferre as they watched, whilst Jehan stared at the trees without moving.

“Almost there,” Feuilly announced, ignoring the chorus of shushes he gained from his friends as he climbed up the final tree. The branch snapped beneath his foot and everyone froze as they stared into the trees.

The movement stopped, the forest falling silent as everyone waited. Suddenly a figure rushed out of the trees and towards them. At once, Bahorel and Courfeyrac threw themselves towards the gate whilst Feuilly remained up the tree.

“Get in!” Jehan yelled, moving out of the way as Bahorel barged past him, almost knocking him over, closely followed by Courfeyrac.

Joly grabbed hold of Jehan and yanked him out of the way as Combeferre slammed the gate shut and fumbled with the chain, trying to wrap it through the chain links to keep the gate closed.

The doctor froze as the figure stopped on the other side of the gate, their faces barely inches apart. He clutched both ends of the chain tightly as he stared at the lifeless eyes, holding his breath. The figure remained still on the other side of the gate as all four men stared at it in shock.

Slowly, Bahorel stepped to the side, ignoring the thing on the other side of the gate as he looked towards Feuilly who was carefully balancing his weight on the branch whilst trying to fasten the end of the net to the tree. “Don’t move,” he called, but Feuilly ignored him as he carried on.

“We need to get it away from the gate,” Joly breathed as he slowly turned his head, looking at Combeferre.

His knuckles were white as he tried to keep hold of the chain, but the rotting smell that the Walker gave off was making it hard for him to breath. If he moved and tried to finish fastening the chain, his hand would be against the fence and the Walker could bite him…. But if he let go, it would be able to get in.

“What do we do?” Jehan asked as he trained his gun on the Walkers head. “We can’t just leave Feuilly out there.”

“Don’t shoot it,” Combeferre told him. “It hasn’t attacked… It’s stopped. It’s not trying to get in…”

“I don’t think you can stand there with that chain all night,” Courfeyrac commented as he glanced towards the man in the tree. “We could try the net.”

“It’s not ready,” Joly pointed out.

“No, but we’re not going to lose anything are we? It’ll either work or it won’t. We’ll catch it, or it’ll get away,” Bahorel replied with a shrug. “I say we do it.”

“If it doesn’t capture it, we might anger it. It’ll try to get and that’ll be the end of us,” Joly scowled. “And if it damages the net, we have no way of capturing others.”

“If it damages the net we can fix it,” Feuilly called back to them. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“And if it gets in?” Combeferre asked with a frown.

“Fine. We’ll distract it. We’ll lead it off around the side of the compound. Feuilly comes back in, we secure the gate and we go back later for the net.”

Joly hesitated. “We need more test subjects…”

“Our lives come first, then everyone else’s,” Combeferre told him quietly. “We need to still be alive in order to test the cure. If we’re dead, or one of them… We’re no use to anyone.”

“Right…” Joly breathed as he glanced towards the others. “How do we do this?”

* * *

 

It was hard to walk with the trees spinning and swirling, pulling her in deeper and deeper into the forest until she could no longer see the sky. It was dark and cold, every noise made her jump but there was no where to go.

She couldn’t climb the trees, the branches were thin and too close together. The pine needles were sharp and would bite into her skin, there was no use trying. This was the place that she was going to die, this was where she would be bitten but even then, she would hold on to the thought of her siblings. If she became one of them, she would still find her way back home.

She tried her best to muffle her coughs behind her sleeve but every noise echoed, and became louder in the silence of the forest. Every step that she made, every crunch of leaves under her foot gave away her very position but she was yet to see anything… unless they were following.

She stopped as she slowly turned around, her eyes searching the dark for any sign of movement but she found none. She was completely alone.

Slowly, she turned back around, ignoring the pounding of her heart against her chest which matched the very same pain that vibrated through her head and behind her eyes. Her mouth was dry and her stomach was rumbling, demanding food but she didn’t have any water and had no time to eat. She had to keep moving.

She yanked her jacket off, tying it around her waist as she tried to cool down. Her fever was spiking, she was hoping it would go away on it’s on but if anything, it was growing worse.

She forced herself to keep going, feeling her way through the darkening forest. She stopped as a branch snapped somewhere off to the side of her, her hand brushing over the pine needles of a tree as she listened.

The noise had come not too far away from here, a few meters at the most… Maybe it was just a deer, or rabbit… An animal that was just as lost as she was…

Rustling came from the other side of her and she could feel her heart picking up, thudding against her chest and in her ears as she closed her eyes tightly. If she stayed still maybe they wouldn’t find her. She just had to wait it out…

Another branch snapped, and then another… passing by her. The smell almost choked her as she held her breath, a cough building in her chest. She struggled to stay silent as her throat burned and she couldn’t hold it anymore.

She clamped her hand over her mouth as she coughed, stumbling slightly. She hit the ground hard and it took her a few moments to catch her breath. Footsteps thudded against the ground as she scrambled to her feet and turned away from the sound.

She stumbled forward through the dark, her fingers brushing against the branches of trees as she ran. She forced herself through the branches that snagged at her clothes, the footsteps staying behind her the entire way. Her heart was beating faster, her breath forcing itself out of her chest in noisy rasps as her eyes wildly searched for any sign of the forests edge but the further she ran, the darker it was getting.

She could almost feel the hands grabbing at her, cold and lifeless. Teeth snapping and nails scratching… She looked to the side, pale eyes found her own as they too, joined the race. She thought back the scream that was building inside of her, trying to get out as she ran. She could just see them in her mind, racing after her. More and more of them, packs of them, trying to get her and turn her into one of them. Their footsteps sounded like thunder, vibrating through the earth and pulsing beneath her feet as she tried to keep going, tried to get far away from them.

Somewhere off to the side she could hear water running, but the only water she had ever seen was the river that ran around the edge of the compound. Her eyes widened as she suddenly turned, bolting towards the river. If she just followed it… She knew it was risky, she would either head away or towards the compound but at least she would know where she was going. At least she would have something to follow…

The ground was getting steeper as she continued, her legs beginning to tire from the adrenaline that had given her the energy to keep moving but the pounding of feet against ground were growing closer and closer…

And then she saw it, the light at the top of the hill. She just had to reach it, she had to keep running. She refused to let herself look back as she forced herself forward, her feet sinking into the boggy ground as she used her hands to pull herself up the hill and towards the light.

But it wasn’t a light… No, it was a mop of hair. Bright hair, blonde hair… She could see his hand reaching out towards her as she grew closer and closer, and she forced her own hand out, her fingers scraping against his as she tried to grab hold of him. “Enjolras,” she breathed, looking up at his face but then, just as quickly as she had seen him, he was gone.

She stumbled the last couple of steps, falling as she reached the top of the hill before she rolled onto her back. This was it, this was the end. She had no more energy, the fight had left her and she waited for them to capture her. She waited for their teeth to sink into her skin, for a pain that would be red hot. A pain that she would voice. She panted hard as she listened, but they never came. She was completely alone. There was no Enjolras and there was no footsteps, there was nothing trying to catch her…

She pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking back towards the edge of the forest. She was on plain view for anything that wanted to catch her, yet there was nothing there… Nothing had followed her out of the trees.

The sun was starting to set and the sky slowly turning from a vivid red to deep blue… And as much as she wanted to stay awake, as much as she wanted to move… she just couldn’t.

She closed her eyes as she shivered, rolling onto her side. There was no use trying to move, she wouldn’t make it very far and if something was going to try and bite her, then they might as well come and do it. She was offering herself to them with open arms, inviting them to come and have a bite. She was dead anyway.

She sighed as she forced her eyes open, blinking up at the sky. Stars bloomed in the darkness, twinkling above her. A raven cawed in the distance as she stared at the shapes they formed above her, whilst only a few miles away, Enjolras looked at the same stars.

Finally, with little energy left, her eyes closed for the final time that day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots of goodbyes and a little bit of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I’m sorry this is so late and I kept you all waiting! I had a lot of stuff going on in the past couple of weeks but I’m finally here!
> 
> So, Freedom909 pointed something out to me in a review about how fast it seemed Enjolras developed feelings for Eponine, but I felt like I kind of needed to clear that up, which I hope I kind of did in this chapter. Thanks for pointing that out!
> 
> So, there’s a scene in here near the bottom that wasn’t going to be in here, but it is now. I almost cut it but it felt too important to lose. It’s all going to get a little confusing from here, but stick with it and you’ll all finally found out the uh, Enjolras parent situation….
> 
> Anyway, thank you all for the reviews. I’ve been meaning to reply to every single one and maybe one day soon I’ll actually get on top of that! But they do mean a lot to me, so thank you! You guys are awesome!
> 
> Also, tiny bit of swearing in this chapter… but he deserves to swear a little bit… please don’t hate me. I’m sorry. It just happened… I couldn’t stop it.
> 
> Okay, go ahead and read.

 

They had waited until it was dark and their arms were tired from taking turns at clutching at the chain, even though it seemed unnecessary. The Walker on the other side of the gate hadn’t made a single move, not even when Enjolras Musichetta had appeared to see what was going on and brought them all food to stop them going hungry, or when Feuilly almost fell out of a tree when he had a sneezing fit. No, the thing just stood there as if the world stood still around it.

Hours had passed, they had all lost count of how many, but now it was time. They’d worked it all out. Combeferre had hold of the chain again, and both Joly and Courfeyrac had picked up stick. Enjolras hadn’t appeared, but Courfeyrac had informed them all he had gone to tell Grantaire that he could leave, but despite the much needed presence of their leader, this was their chance. If they didn’t all get their timing right, this could end in disaster…

“Okay, we’ve got this,” Bahorel breathed as he stood beside Jehan, both of their guns trained on the walker.

Courfeyrac nodded at Joly, both men raising their sticks. They both took off running, shouting and banging their sticks against the chains of the fence. The walker looked up, its head following the sound as everyone waited.

It moved slowly, making its way along the length of the fence. Feuilly swung his legs as he sat perched on a branch, waiting for it to far enough away before he slowly climbed down and stood against the trunk of the tree.

Combeferre yanked the chain out of the fence as Jehan moved forward, opening the gate. Feuilly ran, his feet pounding against the floor as he forced himself across the short distance to the fence. At the same time, on the opposite side of the compound, Grantaire would be leaving.

It was working perfectly, they could all see that- until of course more footsteps began to sound in the forest behind them. They all knew what that meant, it meant more were coming. His heart hammered against his chest as he grew closer and closer to the gate, ignoring the sound behind him as he concentrated on that opening not far from him.

He forced himself faster, he was almost there… A few meters at the most. He was going to make it, of course he was, he could almost reach the gate with his hand but then without warning, something lurched out of the trees, a flash of green and brown that took down the bigger man.

Bahorels yells sounded over the racket further down the fence as he threw himself forward, heading straight for the gate. Everything was shouting, Feuilly was screaming and suddenly there was a weight against Bahorel as he was thrown backwards, hitting the ground with a thud. Combeferre was on top of him, wrestling with him to stop him from running straight out of the gate.

“Get off!” Bahorel yelled as the doctor tried to grab at his hands. “Get the hell of me! They’ve got him, they’ve got him! Can’t you see! What the hell are you doing?”

“There’s nothing you can do!” Combeferre told him calmly as Bahorel kicked out at him, pushing the Doctor off of him as the boxer scrambled to his feet. “You’ll get yourself hurt as well!”

“Damn it, I’m not leaving him!” Bahorel yelled as he ran for the gate. He grabbed at the wire links, shaking at it desperately as Jehan finished locking it. He grabbed at the smaller man, trying to stop him, all the while staring out at his friend. “Feuilly! Feuilly!”

“Stop it,” Jehan told him quietly as he trained the gun on the back of the walker. “He’s gone, it’s too late. There’s nothing we can do.”

“We don’t give up,” Bahorel spat. “Open the gate! One of you has the keys! Who is it?”

Combeferre sat on the ground, looking up at his friend quietly. “Bahorel-“

“Shut up,” he snarled. “We could have saved him!”

“He’s already been bitten…” The doctor tried to justify. “We saw it, there’s blood… It would have gotten you as well.”

“Fuck you,” Bahorel breathed, slamming his hands against the fence. “Oi! You!”

The walker paused as it turned its head slowly towards the noise as it crouched on the floor beside Feuilly. Jehan frowned as he placed his hand on the mans arm but he quickly shrugged it off, slamming his hands harder against the fence over and over.

“Yeah, you! Don’t you touch him! Don’t you dare! If you touch him, I’ll finish you,” he yelled, thrusting his gun through the gap in the fence, his hands trembling as he tried to hold it still.

“No, don’t!” Combeferre told him quickly as he got to his feet. “We’ve never had a subject that has recently fed- They’re more unpredictable, more prone to attacking. This could help us! Don’t let Feuilly die in vain-“

“But he’s not fucking dead, is he?” Bahorel demanded, turning his head to look at Combeferre. “That’s what you keep saying. They’re not really dead. There’s still part of him in there. We could save him.”

“If we managed to get the cure correct-“He began but Bahorel cut him off with a glare.

The man turned his attention back to the creature that was still staring at him, blood smeared down its face as it waited. “When this is over, I’m going to find you,” he told it coldly. “You don’t get to take my friends. You don’t get to do this! We’re trying to save you! Don’t you get that?”

Jehan sighed, looking back at Combeferre. “Come on Bahorel, let’s go back inside. Lets get a drink.”

“I’m not leaving him,” he told him quietly, his grip tightening on the gun. “I’m not going to just go back inside like nothing happened. I’m not going to leave him out here alone!”

“He’s one of them now,” Jehan told him, chewing his lip. “He’ll be okay…

“So why isn’t he moving? Why’s that thing waiting to eat him?”

“It takes a little while for the infection to set in, but it will…” Combeferre told him gently. “And when it does…”

“Leave,” Bahorel breathed, moving his gun out of the fence. He swallowed hard, aiming the gun up at the sky. “Go back inside.”

Jehan glanced at Combeferre before nodding his head. “You know where we’ll be…”

“Right,” Bahorel frowned as he shot the gun. The sudden noise startled the creature and without warning, it darted back into the trees.

Combeferre placed a gentle hand on Jehans back as he stared at their friend, and slowly he guided him towards where Courfeyrac and Joly had headed.

As soon as he was alone, Bahorel sunk to his knees, pressing his head against the fence. Tears stung his eyes as he shook his head quietly. “Damn it,” he spat. “You don’t get to… you said you… You fucking promised me! We had a deal, we weren’t going to leave each other like this.”

He looked up quickly as a small groan escaped the others mouth and his eyes widened. “Feuilly?” He breathed, clutching at the fence. “ _Feuilly_?”

“You think… I’d just leave you like that,” the other man breathed from where he laid. At first he thought he’d imagined it, he had almost missed it but no, Bahorel _had_ heard it. It was Feuilly talking. “I don’t break deals, man.”

“What the hell were you doing? You should have followed us. Why the hell did you stay up that tree?” Bahorel demanded, his fingers curling around the links. “Look what happened!”

The man laughed quietly, a raspy sound that escaped his throat. “I never did do anything the easy way.”

“Don’t talk like that,” Bahorel scolded him. “Don’t start talking like you’re dying.”

Feuilly lifted his head slowly, looking towards Bahorel. “This is worse than dying, isn’t it?”

Bahorel paused, looking down at the ground. He had never expected that question, what was he even supposed to say to that? He wanted to say something comforting, he wanted to reassure the other that everything was going to work out, but he couldn’t find the words. “I don’t know…” He breathed.

Feuilly scoffed as he slowly sat up, the front of his shirt was stained red with blood from the bite wound on his shoulder. His shirt had been torn away, revealing the flesh beneath. It made Bahorel feel nauseous, not the blood… He’d seen plenty of blood before, and a handful of wounds that had been worse than this one, but not on his friend. Not like this…

“Hey…” Feuilly frowned slightly as he watched his friend. “It’s going to be fine. Jolys going to find a cure and when he does, you’re going to come find me and give it to me. Everything going to be fine.”

“What if it’s not?” Bahorel asked him quietly. “This is it, isn’t it? This is what’s going to happen to all of us, now…”

Feuilly stumbled to his feet, his body swaying unsteadily. He clutching his injured arm against his body as he slowly made his way towards the fence. His shoulder felt like it was on fire and his throat was dry, scratchy almost… But his friend needed him and he couldn’t recall once that he had ever seen Bahorel look so… lost, so scared…

He sat down heavily on the other side of the fence, studying Bahorel silently for a moment before he lifted his hand, placing it over the others fingers that reached through the fence. Bahorel jumped, looking up at Feuilly but made no move to pull his hand away.

Feuilly smiled faintly. “I said I wasn’t going to leave you and I’m not gonna, okay?”

“I don’t think you get a choice in all of this,” Bahorel told him quietly. “I don’t think you get to decide what you want to do after this…”

“After the infection takes hold,” Feuilly finished for him quietly, nodding his head. “Maybe I don’t… but you know what… In here, inside my heart… this is home. This is the only place that I’ve ever found somewhere that I want to be, and if it wasn’t for all of this… I wouldn’t have met all of the guys and I wouldn’t have found you-“

“Don’t get soppy on me now,” Bahorel told him quietly, forcing a sad smile.

Feuilly shook his head as he leaned in closer. “No, this is important. I need to tell you this… I’m glad this happened, because I met you. You’re my best friend and I know, no matter what… where ever you are, that’s home and I’m going to wait for you… Whether it’s for you to bring me the cure or if it’s for you to join me, I’m going to be waiting right here for you…”

Bahorel frowned as he shook his head. “Feuilly, you don’t know that…”

“I do,” he told him quietly. “Because those feelings are stronger than anything else. It’s stronger than this infection, and I’m not going to let it take this away from me. I’m not going to lose you.”

“Feuilly-”

“Stop interrupting me,” Feuilly chided him lightly, a grin spreading across his face. “I haven’t finished yet-”

“Damn it,” Bahorel snapped irritably. “Just shut up for one damn minute, will you?”

Feuilly scoffed, raising his eyebrow. “Way to ruin the moment, idiot.”

“Just… _shut up and kiss me_ ,” Bahorel ordered, leaning against the fence. Feuillys eyes widened in surprise, but even so he leaned forward until his lips found the others through the fence links. It was clumsy and messy, every ounce of desperation pushed into the simple action as Feuilly fingers tightened over the others as he held onto him, never wanting to let go.

He’d thought about this moment for so long. To kiss that mans damn lips, to shut him up for once. To be held in his arms and to hold him but every time they came close to it, Bahorel had shied away. He thought it was because he didn’t feel what he did, but he had been so wrong. They had wasted so much time…

Feuilly froze as he opened his eyes, the salty taste pulling him back from his thoughts. At first, he thought they were his tears but he soon realised that they belonged to the other man. He pulled back, his expression softening. “Rel-“

Bahorel shook his head, yanking his hands back from the fence as he stood up. He grabbed at the gate, tears staining his face as he shook it. “Damn it,” he spat. “I’ll find the keys. We’ll take you inside, we’ll strap you to the bed until we have a cure… I’ll come out there. We’ll be together. I don’t give a damn if it hurts, I’ll be with you… and we’ll be together…”

“Hey,” Feuilly frowned as he got to his feet. “No, you know that’s not an option, neither of them things… I don’t want either of them… Of course I want to be with you, but I don’t want to hurt any of you and if I’m in there, that could happen… and I don’t want you getting hurt out here either…”

Bahorel shook his head, his hands moving to tangle in his hair. “I can’t do this,” he breathed, raising his eyes up to the sky. “I can’t… I can’t do this. Shit…”

“Listen to me,” Feuilly breathed as he clutched at the gate. He glanced down at his arm, his veins were already beginning to dark under his skin, a spider web of black beneath the freckles of his arms. It wouldn’t be long… “Rel, listen. It’s going to be okay. I’m going to be okay. I’m going to be right here…”

“It shouldn’t be like this! This is all just… It’s some bad dream,” Bahorel continued, squeezing his eyes shut. “We’re all going to die here.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you…” Feuilly told him quietly, his knuckles whitening. “Please, Bahorel. Come here.”

Bahorel shook his head as he began to pace, his nails digging into scalp as his chest heaved. He’d held it together for so long, he’d convinced himself this would all be over soon and that nothing bad was going to happen and it had happened and now… His lie was crumbling around him. Feuilly was about to leave him and who next? Who would be the next to leave? Courfeyrac? Jehan?

He sunk to his knees in the grass, a sob tearing from his chest as his entire body shook. Feuilly watched helplessly from the other side of the fence. His mind felt fuzzy and there was gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach, a hunger that he felt would never end… Pulling him towards Bahorel… _No_ , that was the infection talking. He could do this, he could fight it. His friend needed him.

“Rel, listen to me!” He called desperately, sinking to his knees on the other side of the fence. “This isn’t over. We don’t know that we’re alone… We don’t know that there aren’t others our there… And Joly, and Ferre… They have the cure, it’s right there… They just have to complete it… Please, Rel… It’s going to be okay…”

As Feuilly talked Bahorel slowly began to calm, listening to the others voice as he stayed knelt on the grass. Slowly, he looked up, his eyes red from tears as he crawled towards the fence. He rested his cheek against the chain links, squeezing his eyes shut as Feuilly brushed his fingers over the others cheek. “I love you,” Feuilly whispered.

Bahorel sniffed as he nodded his head, the palm of his hand pressed against the fence and Feuilly mirrored him, their fingers linking together. “I love you too, man.”

* * *

 

The sun was beginning to set in the distance when Grantaire finally stepped out of the building and made his way down the small path towards the metal gates. He waited a few moments before they opened slowly and for the first time in what felt like years, he no longer felt trapped. He was free to go wherever he wanted.

He took a deep breath, glancing back at the building over his shoulder one last time, making sure there was no part of him that was going to regret this decision before he finally stepped forward, his foot passing over the invisible boundary of the compound.

He forced himself forward, not bothering to look back again as he followed the road, heading away from the place he had been forced to try and call home. Somewhere out there he would find his new home, whether that was alone or with other survivors but home was not here. Not with these people.

He reached the fork in the road and paused, glancing at the town ahead of him and then at the road that led off in a completely different direction. He hadn’t travelled this road often, he had never had the need to leave his town before… but he couldn’t go back there now. That place held too many memories of people he knew he’d never see again. This was his chance for a new beginning.

He turned, glancing warily at the forest that lined one side of the road as he walked. He was starting to regret not taking the gun that Jehan had tried to press into his hand. He had to give it to the guy, despite being slightly annoying, he had a good heart and even though he had managed to piss off most of the people in that damn place, Jehan had tried to give Grantaire the best chance to survive out here whilst everyone else turned their backs on him. He was going to miss that guy…

But there was no use of thinking about him now, or any of them for that matter. They were part of his past now and he had to look out for himself and no one else. It was the only way he was going to survive.

It didn’t take him long to pass the edge of the forest, but by the time he had it was slowly starting to grow dark and despite wanting to get as far away from this place as he could, he also wanted to stay alive for as long as he could out here.

He frowned slightly before turning to the wall and pulling himself over it, landing in a patch of nettles on the other side. He swore under his breath as he kicked at them, scratching at his skin as he continued moving.

When he was younger the school he had attended was on the other side of this field, and behind that was a small shed that he had spent most of his lessons bunking off in so he could smoke. It was a sturdy little thing, out of sight of the school just on the edge of the forest.

He’d managed to work out a way to lock it from the inside by wedging a screwdriver behind the handle, and if he was lucky it would still work. There was no way anything was going to get him in there, unless of course there was something already in there… but once the whole zombie thing had been on the news, most of the kids were kept at home and eventually the school closed. If he was lucky, no one had felt drawn enough to wander back over there in their undead state.

He was almost there, he could make out the outline of the shed in the distance when something else caught his attention. At first he assumed it was _one of them_ and he was already working out his escape in his head. He slowed down his steps, kept his head down and tried to stay as quiet as he could but the closer he got, the more familiar the figure looked.

He’d never seen any of them things laying down, only the ones that Combeferre had shown him… but that had been different. He paused, glancing at the shed and then back at the figure laying not too far away from the forest.

“Damn it,” he groaned as he looked around. He warily made his way across the field, occasionally glancing up at the sky to see how much time he had left before he would be thrown into complete darkness and left stumbling around with no idea which way to go.

On the plus side, he couldn’t see any blood… Which meant she hadn’t been bitten, which hopefully meant there weren’t any of them hanging around and that she wasn’t going to wake up and chew his face off… But she didn’t look very alive, either.

He took a deep breath, slowly picking a branch up off the ground and poking her in the arm with it. The brunette let out a small groan, her hand shifting to try and brush away whatever it was that was disturbing her.

He exhaled as he crouched down beside her and shook her, looking around quickly. “Oi,” he hissed. “Wake up.”

He waited a few moments before shaking her harder. “Get up! You can’t just sleep out here. You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Well, that was it then. She wasn’t waking up and she wasn’t moving and he really didn’t have time to wait around for her. He had to look after himself, first and if that meant leaving her here, then fine.

He stood back up, glancing back down at the girl before he began walking, heading towards the shed in the distance. He only made it a few feet before he stopped and looked back at her, chewing his lip.

“For Gods sake,” he groaned as he ran his fingers through his hair, staring at the shed ahead of him. It was slowly being swallowed by the darkness that was closing in on them and he knew he didn’t have much time left.

He quickly turned around and strode over to her before shaking her again. When she made no attempt to move, he grabbed hold of her roughly and picked her up into him arms effortlessly. “This is it,” he told her coldly as he headed towards the shed. “In the morning I’m leaving you, whether you’re awake or not. You can get yourself out of this, I’m not letting you weigh me down.”

* * *

 

There were a million thoughts running through Courfeyracs mind as he stormed down the corridor, heading straight towards the doors. All of this, everything that had happened was Enjolras’ fault. They needed their leader but apparently he had other things on his mind. Didn’t he understand? Didn’t he understand how much they all needed him? He was going to get them all turned!

He threw the doors open and crossed the distance to the watch tower, forcing the door open as he headed up the stairs two at a time. He stopped at the top, looking at the man that sat beside Enjolras. He scowled slightly as he glanced at the blonde and then back at the other man. “I’ve got it from here,” he told the bewildered man. “Go. Get some rest.”

Enjolras frowned as he looked up at his friend. “You’re not on tonight-“

“I need words,” Courfeyrac replied sharply, turning his gaze back to the other. The man quickly jumped from his seat, stammering a goodbye towards Enjolras before edging around Courfeyrac and down the stairs. Courfeyrac waited until he heard the door shut before he looked back at Enjolras. “What the hell are you doing?”

Enjolras slowly stood up, his arms crossing slowly against his chest. “What do you mean?”

“ _What are you doing?_ ” Courfeyrac repeated, throwing his arms up in the air. “What is this?”

“I’m on watch… Are you feeling alright? Should I fetch Joly?”

Courfeyrac scoffed, his eyes widening. “ _I_ need Joly? You’re the one that needs Joly! Where were you?”

“When?” Enjolras frowned. “What’s happened?”

“They got him!” He told him bitterly. “They got Feuilly! He’s one of them now and you weren’t there! We needed you and you weren’t there!”

Enjolras’ eyes widened as he pinched at the bridge of his nose. “I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t! You were sat in here, like you have been for days now!”

Enjolras sighed, looking towards the window. “How is everyone holding up?”

“Maybe if you had been there you would know,” he replied quietly. “Bahorel… Bahorels torn up over it and Jehan… You should have been there! Why weren’t you there Enjolras? We need you to lead us!”

“I wouldn’t have been able to stop it, even if I had been there…”

“Maybe if you stopped acting like some love sick puppy-“

“What’s that even meant to mean?” Enjolras deadpanned as he looked away from the window.

“You’re sat here acting like you mourning her going is going to bring her back. She’s gone. Any feelings she had for you are gone as well. Just let it go. Let _her_ go.”

Enjolras frowned as he turned back to him. “I don’t have feelings for her- I admire her, yes. She’s smart. She wants to learn, she doesn’t dumb herself down in a male dominated society like some girls do. I don’t have time to get wrapped up in some kind of relationship. Not now, not ever probably… I got her wrong when she first arrived here-“

“So, what? You’re sick of hating every person that walks in here at last and now you want to play the hero again? You’ve got over your stupid self-loathing and decided it’s time to do something? It’s too late! Feuilly is out there now, he’s one of them. You screwed up and you failed him-“

“You think I don’t know that, Courfeyrac?” Enjolras snapped. “I fucked up. I let her go, and I let him get bitten. That’s two more of them and two less of us. Instead of saving people I’m making them into bait. That’s not what I wanted!”

“You need to get over this,” Courfeyrac told him coldly. “You’re not your parents. There is nothing you can do-“

“No, there is something I can do. I can reverse this. I can undo it! This isn’t what was meant to happen!”

“You _aren’t_ your parents. You don’t owe anyone anything but I know that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try and sort this but you shouldn’t be doing this because of what your parents did-“

“I owe everyone this,” Enjolras replied. “I owe everyone for what happened. Don’t you understand? The reason all of this happened was because of _my_ parents. You don’t understand that, do you? You’re not the one watching the human race being wiped out because _your_ parents caused it. My parents messed up, it got out of hand. There was a breach- The infection was never meant to get out of that lab but it did and you know why? Because of me. I went in there. Even though they told me not to, I had to know what was going on and you know what I saw? I saw experiments. I saw test subjects. All of them, strapped down to the beds and I didn’t fucking think, okay?”

Coureyrac froze, staring at him silently. “You’ve never told me this…”

“I never told anyone. The cctv was down, no one knew who did it. They assumed it was an activist group. I helped them escape and they took the virus with them. I didn’t know… no one knew this would happen. They thought it was a cure for cancer. They thought they could make a virus that would cause blood cells to multiply… but it didn’t. It was some kind of… parasite that changed them…”

“You don’t have to tell me this,” Courfeyrac told him quietly. “I don’t need to know…”

“Yes, you do!” Enjolras told him. “Everyone should know! It was people like her, like Eponine… They were young, the test subjects… Some of them were just children. They paid for them. My parents paid for them! They thought they had better chance of studying the effects on young, healthy subjects… By the time they realised what they had created, it was too late… The subjects were out of there, running around and passing it on… _I caused this.”_

 


End file.
